52 Nebraskaland • June 2024
MIXED BAG
A species that you surely won't see fl ying wild in Nebraska
graces this year's winning entry for the Nebraska Junior Duck
Stamp competition. It is the white-cheeked pintail (Anas
bahamensis).
Brody Mikesell of Scottsbluff , a seventh-grader, topped the
584 entries submitted by Nebraska students in kindergarten
through 12th grades with his acrylic painting of the bird. As
Nebraska's winning entry, it will be featured on the waterfowl
stamp that hunters purchase from Game and Parks if they
plan to pursue ducks and geese in the state.
Depictions of 48 species of North American wild waterfowl
— ducks, geese and swans — are eligible for the contest, and
the white-cheeked pintail, sometimes called the Bahama
pintail, qualifi es … even if not by much. It primarily lives in
the Caribbean, South America and the Galapagos Islands.
The Caribbean is generally considered to be in North America,
and an occasional wild white-cheeked pintail ventures into
Florida — though most U.S. mainland sightings are believed
to be domesticated escapees.
The entry represents the only white-cheeked pintail in
Nebraska's contest this year and is the fi rst of the species to
win the Nebraska competition. It does bear a resemblance to
an attractive related species that frequents Nebraska's skies
and waters, the northern pintail (Anas acuta).
Mikesell's entry was selected by a panel of judges in
Scottsbluff in March. As the winner, it competed against
selections from other states during the national competition
in April.
The annual contest is administered by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. More information may be found on the Junior
Duck Stamp page at fws.gov.
PINTAIL – NOT THAT PINTAIL
By Justin Haag
Brody Mikesell's winning entry for the Nebraska Junior Duck Stamp competition depicts a white-cheeked pintail, a species that
resembles the northern pintail but primarily lives in the Caribbean, South America and the Galapagos Islands.
chosen as duck stamp winner
