Masked Duck
The Masked Duck (Nomonyx dominicus) is a tiny stiff-tailed duck ranging through the tropical Americas. They are found from Mexico to South America and also in the Caribbean. Primarily non-migratory, Masked Ducks are reported as very uncommon vagrants in the southernmost United States, along the Mexican border and in Florida.
The only member of the genus Nomonyx, it is intermediate between the rather primitive Black-headed Duck (Heteronetta) and the very apomorphic true stifftails. It is sometimes included with the latter in the genus Oxyura, but apparently the Masked Ducks of our time are the descendants of a missing link in the Oxyurinae evolution, having changed but little for millions of years.
The only member of the genus Nomonyx, it is intermediate between the rather primitive Black-headed Duck (Heteronetta) and the very apomorphic true stifftails. It is sometimes included with the latter in the genus Oxyura, but apparently the Masked Ducks of our time are the descendants of a missing link in the Oxyurinae evolution, having changed but little for millions of years.
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| Masked Duck |
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/
