Field Guide

Explore the Field Guide to learn about more than 350 species of birds, fish, insects, algae, invertebrates, mammals, plants, reptiles and amphibians that live in the Chesapeake Bay region.

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Showing: 10 of 110

American Black Duck

Anas rubripes

The American black duck is a dusky brown dabbling duck that appears black from a distance. It lives year-round along the quiet, isolated tidal wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.

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A male and female American black duck, set apart by the color of their bills, swim in a body of water.
Birds

American mink

Neovison vison

The American mink is a semiaquatic mammal that can be found in most of North America. This animal is a key predator of small mammals, fish, amphibians and insects.

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Mammals

American Pondweed

Potamogeton nodosus

Also known as longleaf pondweed, American pondweed is considered a nuiance species. It is a rooted, perennial herb that has both submerged and floating leaves.

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Plants & Trees

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Wintering in the Bay, American wigeons are known for the green stripe and white spot on the heads of males.

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Two wigeons fly together through a farm during winter.
Birds

Arrow Arum

Peltandra virginica

Arrow arum is a native perennial plant with large, arrowhead-shaped leaves. It grows in shallow, tidal fresh waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

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Plants & Trees

Atlantic Ribbed Mussel

Geukensia demissa

The Atlantic ribbed mussel is a bivalve with dark, ribbed shells. It is found in low marshes and mud flats throughout the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.

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Invertebrates

Atlantic White Cedar

Chamaecyparis thyoides

The Atlantic white cedar is a tall evergreen tree with scaly, fan-shaped foliage and a cone-like shape. It grows in swamps, marshes and other wet areas near the coast in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. 

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Plants & Trees

Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum

The bald cypress is a tall, deciduous tree with needle-like leaves and distinctive “knees” that rise up from the soil or water around it. It grows in swamps and forests in parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

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Plants & Trees

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

The bald eagle is a large raptor with a yellow, hook-shaped bill and a white head and tail. It lives in forested, sparsely developed areas near rivers, wetlands and other waterways throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

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A bald eagle flies through a blue sky with its brown wings open wide and its white head and tail clearly visible.
Birds

Baltimore Checkerspot

Euphydryas phaeton

The Baltimore checkerspot is a black, orange and white butterfly that feeds on white turtlehead leaves and nectar. It can be found in the entire Chesapeake Bay region.

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Insects