Puddle Ducks
Puddle ducks are typically birds of fresh, shallow marshes and rivers
rather than of large lakes and bays. They are good divers, but usually
feed by dabbling or tipping rather than submerging.
The speculum, or colored wing patch, is generally iridescent and
bright, and often a telltale field mark.
Any duck feeding in croplands will likely be a puddle duck, for most of
this group are sure-footed and can walk and run well on land. Their diet
is mostly vegetable, and grain-fed mallards or pintails or
acorn-fattened wood ducks are highly regarded as food.