Ducks, Grebes, and Geese ID Quiz ~ test yourself on these beautiful birds that can be found sometime during the year here in Wisconsin! There are 52 images, see how well you do. Answers are below the last photo at the bottom of the page. There is a chance you may see some color variation in ducks, grebes, or geese considering sex, age or time of year. There are books, FB groups, phone apps, classes to lean more. There are also presentations to help in learning bird ID, look for details at your local nature center. Please let me know if you see an error, thank you. Special Note: I have compiled a list of 52 images of ducks, grebes, and geese. I am missing a few of the images for various reasons, sorry. This quiz may not be as easy as the warbler or shorebird quiz! Don’t look for these ducks in the quiz as they are missing: Northern Pintail fm, Barrow’s Goldeneye fm.
Ducks
# 1
# 2
# 3 Narrow black nail, and not the wide black on the tip of the bill tells you it is a?
# 4
# 5
# 6 Narrow black nail, and not the wide black on the tip of the bill tells you it is a?
# 7
# 8
# 9
# 10
# 11
# 12
# 13
# 14
# 15
# 16 left —— # 17 right
# 18
# 19 female —– # 20 male
# 21
# 22
# 23
#24
# 25
# 26 – assuming this is a female, what species?
# 27
# 28
# 29
# 30
# 31 A rare vistor
# 32
# 33
# 34
# 35
# 36
# 37
# 38
#39
#40
#41
#42
Grebes
# 43
# 44
# 45
# 46 White tip on the bill means it is a…
# 47
Geese
# 48
# 49
# 50
# 51
# 52
ANSWERS BELOW
Ducks
#1 – Mallard – male
#2 – Northern Shoveler – male
#3 –Lesser Scaup – male
#4 – Canvasback – female
#5 – Redhead – male
#6 – Lesser Scaup – female
# 7 – Bufflehead – male
#8 – Wood Duck – female
#9 – Long-tailed Duck – male
#10 – Canvasback – male
#11 – Redhead – female
#12 – Northern Shoveler – female
#13 – Ring-necked Duck – female
#14 – Bufflehead – female
#15 – Ring-necked Duck – male
#16 – Eurasian Wigeon – male
#17 – American Wigeon – male
#18 – Harlequin Duck – male
#19 – Gadwall – female
#20 – Gadwall – male
#21 – Blue-winged Teal – female
#22 – Blue-winged Teal – male
#23 – Greater Scaup – male
#24 – Common Merganser – female
#25 – Common Goldeneye – female
#26 – Hooded Merganser – female
#27 –Ruddy Duck – female
#28 – Red-breasted Merganser – male
#29 – Greater Scaup – female
#30 – Wood Duck – male
#31 – Cinnamon Teal – male
#32 – Green-winged Teal – female
#33 – Hooded Merganser – male
#34 – Green-winged Teal – male
#35 – Common Goldeneye – male
#36 – Barrow’s Goldeneye – male
#37 – Ruddy Duck – male
#38 – Long-tailed Duck – female
#39 – Mallard – female
#40 – American Black Duck, male
#41 – Red-breasted Merganser, female
#42 – Common Merganser, male
Grebes
#43 – Pied-billed Grebe
#44 – Western Grebe
#45 – Eared Grebe
#46 – Horned Grebe
#47 – Red-necked Grebe
Geese
#48 – Snow Goose
#49 – Canada Goose
#50 – Greater White-fronted Goose
#51 – Ross’s Goose
#52 – Cackling Goose
Geeze Jim, with all the beautiful poses that you capture, this is fun. I am asking for you to do something as such and more interesting, kinda what Noel Cutright did in his day – a guessing of birds whether it be a it’s bill, leg, habitat. I would like it if you presented something as such to the club.
Thank you. I am a beginning “serious” birder and this was most helpful having a list albeit quiz of these birds. Thank you!
Enjoyed the quiz and only had to rack my brain on one of them. Thanks, it was fun and thanks for sharing the great photos.
Hey another terrific experience.
i think you might want to recheck your answer key, seems to be off a few entries. I would like to speak to you about a sign we are designing for Fond du lac park on waterfowl identification. Our Audubon group has funds to place a sign near a prominent waterfowl observation site on lake Winnebago. May i contact you? if so how
thank you
amy sheldon
Only 39 out of 48. I still have to work on the female ducks. It’s a lot easier if they are floating next to their male counterparts. Thanks Jim, I love it!
These quizzes are great. I have taken all three that you
have posted. Great brush up for migration.
Take a look at the answer key for the grebes. You have the Western Grebe, Eared Grebe and Horned Grebe out of sorts.
You’ve done it again! Teaching with your beautiful photos is such a valuable and fun tool.
Thanks
Thank you Jim. These are a lot of fun. Way to try to confuse things with the females. I still did better here than with shorebirds or warblers.
I don’t think I’ve commented on all of these quizzes so let me just say thank you for all of them. I’ve really enjoyed taking them, and using them as a learning tool.
Thank you!
Great job love your quizzes
I took this quiz and I think I missed the earned and western grebes. Love this collection!
Thanks Jim – so fun and so helpful! I got 12 wrong, all ducks and all females! I gotta work on that, they are not always right next to males which always makes it easier! Got all the geese and minus .5 for calling red necked grebe – red throated grebe!
Thanks for doing this. It was light-hearted fun at a good time. The female photos are really useful learning tools. I learned some new field marks but only missed 2 of these.
Thanks, Jim. I’ve done all your quizzes and it’s helpful to review the ones I got wrong. The sparrows are the hardest for me so I’m trying to brush up. Thanks for posting. Very helpful and timely. Ann
Jim I did much better on the water fowl quiz then the sparrow quiz. It was fun testing your ID skills. Thanks again for posting such nice pictures
Beautiful photos. I got more than I expected but need to brush up on females & geese.
Great test. I missed 2 but was lucky on a couple other ones. Nice selection. Thanks!
Fun to try and see what I can ID. I knew more than I thought. I got 39 correct. A few of the other 11 I knew grebe but which one was which I didn’t and the wigeon, same didn’t know which was which. Not too bad for an intermediate birder. Thanks for the brain boost.
Funny repeat a year later. I still can’t get some females without my guide book. I mixed the earned and horned grebe. With guide book still 7 wrong.
Great refresher, Jim. Thanks. Females are always my challenge but better at these species than gulls! Thanks again.
Thank you so much for doing this…..what fun! A very good review. I missed 10 of them.
Thanks, Jim! Beautiful photos. Great quiz.
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Thanks so very much! So much to learn so little time, this is greatly appreciated!
Thanks again, I always have a difficult time with the females.
I have definitely improved some, males are no problem, but I still struggle with the females unless they are hanging around with a male. Especially the Scaup! Thanks Jim.
All but 4. Great photos.
Very enjoyable quiz, Jim. Thank you for all the effort you put into it. Simon and Mary