Anas fulvigula
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) or mottled mallard is a medium-sized species of dabbling duck. It is intermediate in appearance between the female mallard and the American black duck. It is closely related to those species, and is sometimes erroneously considered a subspecies of the former.
Along the Gulf of Mexico coast, the mottled duck is one of the most frequently banded waterfowl. This is due in part to the fact that it is mostly non-migratory. Approximately one out of every 20 mottled ducks is banded, making it an extremely prized and sought after bird among hunters.
There are two distinct subspecies of the mottled duck. One subspecies, the Gulf Coast mottled duck (A. f. maculosa), lives on the Gulf of Mexico coast between Alabama and Tamaulipas (Mexico); outside the breeding season, individual birds may venture as far south as Veracruz. The other, the Florida mottled duck (A. f. fulvigula), is resident in central and southern Florida and occasionally strays north to Georgia. The same disjunct distribution pattern was also historically found in the local sandhill cranes. Individuals of both subspecies were introduced into South Carolina in the 1970s and 1980s... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Duck sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 3,330 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 45th most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Duck in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 10% in October, the lowest month. Those are among Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mottled Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Mottled Duck sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Padre Island National Seashore (United States, about 20%) and Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Anas
The closest relatives of the Mottled Duck that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (genus Anas, Mallards, Pintails, and Allies) are Northern Pintail (about 20%) and Green-winged Teal (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mottled Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (3,330 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
