Can you identify this bird?

[Nancy S]

I can't seem to identify the bird in the link below, so I'm hoping some of you birders out there can help me. It's about the size of a large goose and appears to have webbed, clawed feet. It was sitting beside a small river in west central Iowa. Thanks!



http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/s...hp?photo=96885

[Punwit]

Hi Nancy,

I've tried using http://www.whatbird.com/ but haven't found a match. I suspect either a grebe of some sort or pehaps a moorhen but at any rate the whatbird site is a nice resource.

Darren

[RTaylor]

I posted it as an image in your msg by clicking on the IMG box above

[Punwit]

Found one that might be a possibility. The http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/101...covy_Duck.aspx looks promising.

[Nancy S]

Ruth, thanks! I have a close-up of the head that I posted to my gallery, but I can't quite figure out how to add it here.

Darren, that duck looks closer than anything I've found so far! The close-up of the face looks different, though.

[Punwit]

Nancy, here's another site (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DN%26um%3D1) that has a fairly good closeup of the Moscovy Duck's head. The coloring is different but the whatbird description indicated that there could be quite a color variance from bird to bird.

Another link, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D36%26um%3D1

[Nancy S]

Darren,
That's got to be my bird. Thanks! It's interesting that they aren't supposed to be native to Iowa, but I'm thinking maybe this was a domesticated duck that wandered off. I knew I could find an answer here.
Nancy

[Rrdjserv]

I'm guessing that this is either a Muscovy or a Muscovy mix. I have photos of several and they never look exactly the same. They are usually very tame. --Rick

[RTaylor]

Nancy,

Here are directions to post a picture to a thread

Go to the picture here on Byte.

Then just above where it says add comments/critiques
You will see Copy Link.
to the right of it is a button that says highlight.
Click the button that says highlight then do a copy (Ctrl C)

Then while in a message like this, in the section right above where you see the http:// @ IMG etc?

Click the IMG
Then paste your link from your picture...

voile.. below is your picture