When I see a bird that walks like a duck…

When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.

A well known quotation

Identify this bird

This black bird has long been valued as a game bird. It flys pretty fast so it can be a mild challenge. Although this is a species of least concern, it is slowly declining due to overhunting and habitat destruction.

Their breeding habitat is ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes and other water environments in eastern Canada, the Great Lakes, and the Adirondacks in the U.S. These birds interbreed regularly and extensively with Mallards, to which they are closely related.

This species is partially migratory and many winter in the east-central United States, especially coastal areas; some remain year-round in the Great Lakes region. These birds feed by dabbling in shallow water, and grazing on land. They mainly eat plants, but also some molluscs and aquatic insects. The eggs are a greenish buff color. They lay from 6-14 eggs, and hatch in an average of one month.