Close-up of Indian spot-billed duck flying over lake, New Delhi, India

Happy flapping

Though they’re genetically similar to the mallards familiar all across the Northern Hemisphere, Indian spot-billed ducks stick to a smaller range. Still, these dabbling ducks are found throughout the entire Indian subcontinent, preferring to populate reedy wetlands instead of open water. Spot-bills lack the dimorphism of their mallard cousins, with both males and females marked by blue-green wing accents and (surprise, surprise) spot-tipped bills.