Features: Males' plumage is entirely black except for a small white teardrop around each eye, and white secondaries that form a conspicuous square wing patch during flight. A black knob graces the males' swollen, white-ridged, orange bills.  

Females and immatures are dark brown above and pale below with diffuse white patches in front of and behind the eyes. Their bills are dark.

Habitat: Abundant along the coast from fall through spring.

Techniques: Rarely taken as part of a mixed duck bag, their habit of resting and feeding on open ocean waters makes them inaccessible to most hunters.