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I live in Northern Kentucky and have a well inhabited lake in my backyard. With every new species that has visited or stayed, I've been able to identify them with my binoculars and North American Birds book. However, the identity of one such duck has alluded me. It comes every time this year and sometimes in the summer months. It has a full gray body, black head from the neck up, and a white bill. Every dark duck I find in my book does not have a fully gray body, but a white stripe or white wing. Can anyone help me? I'm not able to take a photo today, but will try tomorrow if I find the time.

Thanks

Lola 

Hi Lola welcome to Whatbird!

I hope you can get a picture because that would really help.  Have you tried the search tutorial on Whatbird's homepage?  Sometimes that can help you narrow it down.  Just to clarify though...your duck has a gray body with with a black head, white bill and white stripe and/or white wing?

How about an American Coot?

Hi,

I was also thinking American Coot....the only water bird I can think of that can be described as having a white bill.  I'm relatively new to bird watching and I have to tell you that American Coot was difficult for me to identify at first because I was always looking in the "duck" section of my field guide and Coots aren't ducks!!!  It threw me for a loop!!!! 

Thanks so much for your responses. You were all correct when suggesting American Coot. I made the same mistake in looking in the wrong section of my field guide. I asked my boyfriend to take a look the binoculars and tell me how he would describe it, and he said the same description. Then I asked him to look through my book and see if he could find what it was. Wouldn't you know it, it fell right open to American Coot, and fit perfectly with what I saw.

Thanks again.

Sounds like an American Coot.

Great shot, Snowyowl!