Nomonyx dominicus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The masked duck (Nomonyx dominicus) is a tiny stiff-tailed duck ranging through the tropical Americas. The only member of the genus Nomonyx, it is intermediate between the rather primitive black-headed duck (Heteronetta) and the very apomorphic true stiff-tailed ducks. It is sometimes included with the latter in the genus Oxyura, but the masked ducks are now considered the descendants of a missing link in the Oxyurini evolution, having changed little for millions of years.
They are found from southern Texas and Mexico to South America and also in the Caribbean. Primarily not migratory, masked ducks are reported as very uncommon vagrants in the southernmost United States, along the Mexican border and in Florida. As of 2000, the conservation status for masked ducks in Texas is 3,800 birds. On April 1, 1962, it was recorded from Lowndes County, Georgia, where it was photographed by Alexander Wetmore. Masked ducks breed in any freshwater body with marsh vegetation and surrounded by heavy tree cover. They also occur in mangrove swamps.
Breeding adult males have a rust-colored body with a black face and mottled wings. Adult... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Duck sighting in Soberanía National Park on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 377th most-seen of the 449 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Masked Duck in Soberanía National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Masked 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Masked Duck sightings, Soberanía National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Chapada Diamantina National Park (Brazil, under 5%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Masked Duck that you can see in Soberanía National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (about 30%) and Muscovy Duck (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Masked Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Soberanía National Park (33 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.
