Weird ducks are all the other ducks that differ from the mallard. The mallard is the most common duck in North America and is often a typical duck you see on a pond or lake. Weird ducks make up the other 173 species of duck and these 12 are the most popular weird ducks you can find this season!

Here are a few terms to know for the article:

• Drake - a male duck
• Hen - a female duck
• Monomorphism - a trait that makes males and females, or drakes and hens, look identical

1. Hooded Merganser

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Lophodytes cucullatus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Hooded Merganser is our first weird duck on the list because it’s one of the most striking ducks in North America. It’s instantly recognizable by the male’s dramatic white fan-shaped crest that flares during courtship.

This small fish-eating duck is primarily piscivorous but also consumes aquatic insects and crustaceans in shallow wetlands. It dives frequently using its slender, serrated bill to catch prey.

Male hooded merganser ducks (a.k.a. a hooded merganser drake) show bold black-and-white head patterns with chestnut flanks, while female hooded merganser ducks have shaggy brown crests and more muted coloring. They both sport a fan shaped head.

The Hooded Merganser call is a mix of hoarse croaks and soft grunts or low gurgles, though they are generally quiet birds compared to dabblers. Dabblers are a type of duck that feeds by reaching the surface in shallow water instead of fully diving underwater.

In North America, the Hooded Merganser range is widespread across forested wetlands, river channels, and ponds remaining common in ice-free areas during winter.

2. Long-tailed Duck

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Clangula hyemalis
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Long Tailed Duck is a distinctive sea duck known for the male’s extremely long tail feathers and constantly shifting winter plumage.

This weird duck is chiefly piscivorous and invertivorous, diving sometimes more than 200 feet to feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish. Their diving ability is among the best of any duck species in the world.

Males undergo dramatic seasonal color changes, showing crisp black-and-white plumage in winter, while females are patterned in soft browns and grays. Their coloring is like contour makeup before it’s blended.

A Long Tailed Duck call includes yodeling, musical calls that echo across waters (0:38 in video). Their constant motion, deep diving, and unusual plumage shifts make them one of the most “un-ducklike” ducks encountered by birders – and why it’s our second on our weird duck list.

Long Tailed Ducks winter range is widely along the North American Great Lakes and Atlantic and Pacific coastlines favoring cold offshore waters and exposed shorelines.

3. Bufflehead

• Family – Anatida
• Species – Bucephala albeola
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Bufflehead is one of the smallest and most compact diving ducks in North America, known for its buoyant movements and energetic dives. It’s an invertivore that feeds primarily on aquatic insects, crustaceans, and small mollusks.

Male Buffleheads (a.k.a. a bufflehead drake) show an oversized white patch on the back of the head that flashes iridescent purple and green in sunlight. A female bufflehead (a.k.a. a bufflehead hen) has a more subtle white cheek mark. This weird duck is fairly common and the jewel tones are similar to a mallard.

A bufflehead call is soft and sometimes rarely heard but their rapid, whistling wingbeats are unmistakable in flight.

The Bufflehead winter range is broadly across North America’s coastlines and large inland waters, especially where ice-free pockets remain during the colder months.

4. Surf Scoter

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Melanitta perspicillata
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Surf Scoter is a boldly patterned sea duck known for the male’s swollen, multi-colored bill that resembles a puffin’s in miniature. It’s primarily piscivorous and invertivorous feeding on mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish. They’re strong, deep divers capable of navigating rough coastal waters.

A male Surf Scoter is almost entirely black with striking white patches on the forehead and nape. A Surf Scooter hen is a dusky brown with subtle facial contrasts.

Their calls consist of soft croaks and gravelly notes though they remain quiet outside breeding season. Their unusual bill and monochrome plumage give them a distinctly “masked” appearance which earns them a spot on the weird duck list.

A Surf Scoters’ winter range is along both coasts of North America and in parts of the Great Lakes, preferring cold offshore waters, estuaries, and marine bays.

5. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Dendrocygna autumnalis
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Black Bellied Whistling Duck is a tall, long-legged duck known for its upright posture and loud, high-pitched whistle that gives the species its name. It is primarily herbivorous, feeding on seeds, grains, and aquatic vegetation, though it occasionally eats insects and snails.

Black Bellied Whistling Duck Male vs Female: both sexes look alike (a trait called monomorphism) with a bright pink bill, chestnut body, black belly, and bold white wing patch visible in flight. Their long legs and goose-like silhouette make them stand out from most North American ducks, landing them in weird duck territory.

A Black Bellied Whistling Duck call is unmistakable— a piercing, squeaky whistle often given while flying overhead or socializing on the water.

Their range is expanding northward and can now be found in the southeastern United States, Texas, the Gulf Coast, and increasingly into the Midwest especially near warm wetlands and suburban parks.

6. Cinnamon Teal

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Anas cyanoptera
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Cinnamon Teal duck is a small, vibrantly colored dabbling duck known for the male’s intense reddish-cinnamon plumage during breeding season. It feeds mainly on aquatic vegetation, seeds, and small invertebrates by dabbling in shallow wetlands.

A Cinnamon Teal drake is strikingly red with bright red eyes, while cinnamon teal hens are heavily mottled brown and easily confused with Blue-winged Teal.

Their vocalizations include soft quacks and chattering calls, most common during courtship. Their vivid coloring and western range make them one of the most recognizable weird duck (non-mallard) dabblers.

Cinnamon Teal ducks inhabit the western United States, whose winters range from the Southwest into Mexico and appear as occasional vagrants in the central and eastern states. These weird ducks favor warm climates and open marshes.

7. Common Eider

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Somateria mollissima
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Common Eider duck is a large, heavy sea duck known for its luxurious down feathers and cold-adapted marine lifestyle. It is primarily piscivorous and invertivorous, Its dense plumage and thick layer of fat help it withstand frigid northern waters.

Males show crisp black-and-white plumage with soft green accents on the nape. A Common Eider female duck looks mottled brown and highly camouflaged.

Their deep “ah-ooo” calls echo across rocky winter shores and are among the most distinctive vocalizations of northern sea ducks.

Their bulk, posture, and color pattern make them instantly recognizable weird ducks.

The Common Eider duck ranges along Arctic and northern temperate coastlines, wintering on rocky marine shores throughout the North Atlantic and North Pacific.

8. Wood Duck

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Aix sponsa
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Wood Duck is one of the most ornate ducks in North America, famous for its iridescent plumage and striking patterns. It's an omnivorous dabbler feeding on seeds, plants, and small invertebrates.

It is also one of the few ducks that readily nests in tree cavities and elevated nest boxes– what a weird duck thing to do.

A Wood Duck drake displays an extraordinary mix of emerald, violet, chestnut, and white markings with bright red eyes. A Wood Duck hen has a more subtle brown body accented by a white teardrop eye ring.

A Wood Duck call is a sharp, rising “oo-eek oo-eek”. It’s not uncommon to hear a wood duck sound when startled in wooded swamps. Their ability to perch and nest in trees sets them apart from nearly all other North American ducks.

This weird duck is found throughout forested wetlands, ponds, and river corridors across North America, with populations strongest in the eastern and southern United States.

9. Mandarin Duck

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Aix galericulata
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Mandarin Duck is one of the most visually spectacular waterfowl in the world, renowned for its ornate plumage earning them a spot on our weird duck list. It feeds primarily on seeds, aquatic plants, and small invertebrates similar to its close cousin, the Wood Duck.

Male Mandarin Duck plumage boasts orange “sails” on the wings, vivid blue, green, and purple facial patterns, and a contrasting cream chest. A female Mandarin Duck, though, is softly mottled with a distinctive white eye ring and white spotted flanks.

A Mandarin Duck call is a soft whistle or squeak, and their courtship displays are among the most elaborate of any duck species.

Though native to East Asia, it now appears in feral populations in parts of North America. Mandarin Ducks are found in ornamental ponds, wooded wetlands, and park lakes like New York Central Park, especially in parts of California and along the East Coast.

10. King Eider

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Somateria spectabilis
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The King Eider duck is a majestic Arctic sea duck known for the male’s boldly colored head and dramatic facial shield. It is primarily piscivorous and invertivorous with thick plumage and heavy build to withstand extreme cold.

Males display a unique mix of pastel blue, orange, black, and white across their strangely oblong head which makes it one of the weirdest weird ducks. A female King Eider lacks the strange head shape but is intricately patterned in brown tones.

Their calls include deep cooing notes and soft grunts, differing from the Common Eider’s “ah-ooo.” Their regal appearance and extreme northern range make sightings especially prized.

King Eiders inhabit Arctic coastlines and winter in northern marine waters, sometimes appearing along the northeastern U.S. and Great Lakes during severe cold periods.

11. Harlequin Duck

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Histrionicus histrionicus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Harlequin Duck is sea duck famous for its bold, theatrical plumage and swift, agile movements through turbulent water. It dives in fast-flowing streams and rocky coastal shorelines feeding on aquatic invertebrates.

A Harlequin Drake has vivid blues, chestnuts, and whites, earning them nicknames like “the painted duck,” while a female Harlequin Duck is solid brown with subtle facial markings.

Their calls include high-pitched squeaks and whistles, unusually delicate for a duck species. Their acrobatic swimming and preference for whitewater make them one of the continent’s most distinctive weird duck.

In North America, Harlequin Duck range is mostly along mountain streams in the West like Yellowstone National Park, and winter on rocky Atlantic and Pacific shorelines in pounding surf.

12. Gadwall

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Mareca strepera
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Day

The Gadwall duck is an herbivorous dabbling duck that eats pondweeds and occasional small invertebrates.

A Gadwall drake shows intricate gray, black, and brown patterns with a white wing patch visible in flight. Gadwall hens actually resemble Mallards but with a slimmer profile and more delicate markings, making them the last weird duck on our list.

A Gadwall duck call includes a short, raspy “kan-kan-kan” from a gadwell drake and softer quacks from a gadwell hen.

Gadwalls range widely across wetlands, lakes, and marshes throughout North America, wintering in the southern U.S., Mexico, and coastal regions.