Charted Waters
Hampton Roads · Waterfowl Guide
Waterfowl GuideA distinct section of Charted Waters, for hunting rather than fishing. Looking for fishing instead? →

Waterfowl species

Identification alone never establishes that a bird may legally be taken — check each species' own legal status, and confirm current season/permit rules on the Regulations page before hunting. Common Loon is included deliberately, not as a huntable species, but as a real, commonly-cited identification hazard.

Group
Seasonal presence
A male and female mallard swimming together, the male showing its iridescent green head and the female her mottled brown plumage
MallardDabbling Duck
An American black duck standing on a shoreline, showing its dark brown body and pale grayish-brown head
American Black DuckDabbling Duck
A male wood duck swimming, showing its iridescent green and chestnut head plumage with bold white stripes
Wood DuckDabbling Duck
A male green-winged teal swimming, showing its cinnamon head with a green eye-crescent and gray body
Green-winged TealDabbling Duck
A male northern pintail on the water, showing its long pointed tail, white breast, and brown head with a white neck stripe
Northern PintailDabbling Duck
A canvasback hen with her brood on the water at a coastal wildlife refuge
CanvasbackDiving Duck
A lesser scaup swimming, showing its peaked head shape and dark head with subtle purplish iridescence
Lesser ScaupDiving Duck
A bufflehead on the water, showing its compact body, large puffy head, and bold black-and-white pattern
BuffleheadDiving Duck
Three male northern shovelers and one female swimming together in a wetland, showing the male's white chest and green head and the female's mottled brown plumage and large orange bill
Northern ShovelerDabbling Duck
A male redhead duck in flight, showing its rounded cinnamon-red head, gray body, and light blue-gray black-tipped bill
RedheadDiving Duck
A male hooded merganser swimming, showing its fan-shaped white and black crest and thin dark bill
Hooded MerganserSea Duck / Merganser
Two adult male common mergansers swimming, showing their gleaming white bodies, iridescent dark green heads, and red bills
Common MerganserSea Duck / Merganser
A Canada goose standing on a shoreline, showing its black head and neck with a white chinstrap patch and brown body
Canada GooseGoose
A cackling goose standing in grass, showing its black head and neck with white chinstrap, stubby bill, and compact rounded body
Cackling GooseGoose
A white-morph snow goose standing on the ground, showing its bright white body, black wingtips, and pink bill
Snow GooseGoose
A Ross's goose standing in grass, showing its all-white body, black wingtips, and short neck
Ross's GooseGoose
A greater white-fronted goose in flight, showing the white patch at the base of its bill and orange legs
Greater White-fronted GooseGoose
A tundra swan swimming, showing its entirely white plumage, long straight neck, and black bill
Tundra SwanSwan
Two mute swans swimming with their necks in the characteristic S-curve, showing their orange bills with black basal knobs
Mute SwanProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
A common loon swimming on open water, showing its dark head, dagger-like black bill, and low-riding posture
Common LoonProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
A double-crested cormorant perched on a branch over water with its wings spread open to dry, showing its hooked bill and overall dark plumage
Double-crested CormorantProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
A red-throated loon swimming in non-breeding plumage, showing its slender bill, gray-and-white head, and speckled back
Red-throated LoonProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
A pied-billed grebe swimming, showing its stubby, chicken-like bill with a dark ring
Pied-billed GrebeProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
A horned grebe in breeding plumage, showing its golden ear tufts, black head, chestnut neck, and red eye
Horned GrebeProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
A red-necked grebe in breeding plumage, showing its black cap, pale gray cheek, and rufous neck
Red-necked GrebeProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
An American coot swimming, showing its all-black-to-gray body, white bill with a dark band near the tip, and red eye
American CootCoot / Other Migratory Game Bird
A common gallinule at the edge of marsh grass, showing its red facial shield and orange-tipped bill
Common GallinuleProtected — Not a Legal TargetNot a legal target
An Atlantic brant goose on the water, showing its black head, neck, and breast with a small white neck-band
Atlantic BrantGoose
A male gadwall swimming, showing its gray-brown body and black tail patch
GadwallDabbling Duck
An American wigeon swimming, showing its white cap, green eye-stripe, and pale cinnamon body
American WigeonDabbling Duck
A blue-winged teal on the water, showing its brown speckled body and slaty-blue head
Blue-winged TealDabbling Duck
A male ring-necked duck on the water, showing its peaked black head, gray sides, and white bill ring
Ring-necked DuckDiving Duck
A male ruddy duck in breeding plumage, showing its chestnut body, white cheek patch, and stiff upright tail
Ruddy DuckDiving Duck
A male common goldeneye on the water, showing its dark green-glossed head with a round white face spot and mostly white body
Common GoldeneyeDiving Duck
A male red-breasted merganser swimming, showing its shaggy green head, cinnamon streaked chest, and long thin red bill
Red-breasted MerganserSea Duck / Merganser
A male greater scaup on the water, showing its rounded head with green iridescence and pale gray back
Greater ScaupDiving Duck
A long-tailed duck on the water, showing its long pointed tail feathers and patterned black, white, and gray plumage
Long-tailed DuckSea Duck / Merganser
A male common eider swimming, showing its black cap, white breast, black flanks, and wedge-shaped bill/head profile
Common EiderSea Duck / Merganser
A male harlequin duck swimming, showing its slate-blue body with white crescents and spots and chestnut flank patches
Harlequin DuckSea Duck / Merganser
A male and female surf scoter on the water together, the male showing jet-black plumage with a colorful multi-patched bill
Surf ScoterSea Duck / Merganser
A black scoter on the water at Barnegat Inlet, showing its entirely black plumage and bulbous bill
Black ScoterSea Duck / Merganser
A male white-winged scoter on the water, showing its black body, comma-shaped white eye mark, and the large white wing patch
White-winged ScoterSea Duck / Merganser