Hi, The species account in The Birds of North America suggests a Texas breeding population of masked duck does exist and numbers at ca. 3800. The bird is "common" enough to occassionally show up in the "creels" of duck hunters. Despite the low population sz. the species is not protected in Texas. For some reason there is a discrepancy between our field guides and TBNA. Happy birding and take care. -Chris Borg Big Pine Key, PS Interestingly, there is a perspectives article in this months "Birding" that mirrors (somewhat) our discussion regarding birder perceptions of bird beauty, and essentially the different perspectives of bird watchers. They conclude that there is no one right way to approach "birding." _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ______________________________________________________________ FLORIDABIRDS-L : www.javaswift.com/floridabirds/ - FloridaBirds-L website For list policy, read: www.javaswift.com/floridabirds/policy.html For archives: www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/floridabirds-l.html To set nomail: Mailto:[log in to unmask] Set floridabirds-l nomail Listowner: (1) Mailto:[log in to unmask] or (2) Mailto:[log in to unmask]