They are early arrivers but they get here while they are still wearing the eclipse plumage. You can tell they are northern shovelers because of the size of their bill. Don't be fooled by the pale, crescent on the face that is similar to the cresecent on the face of the blue-winged teal. When the males are in full plumage, they are distinctively dressed with a green head, white breast and chestnut brown sides. The northern pintail male wears a chocolate brown head on top of a long, slender, white neck that extends into the head.
Black feathers extend far beyond the rest of the long, wedge shaped tail.
Gadwalls are gray ducks that have white bellies, black tail coverts and pale chestnut coloring on their wings. The canvasback has a whitish body and a chestnut head. They are more difficult to find than other birds so look for them in Rockport in the lake behind Key Allegro Island. Redheads have a color similar to canvasbacks except the redheads bodies are much grayer. Redheads are also more common than canvasbacks.