Common Moorhen

I thought this bird was a duck, but when I looked it up the only "duck" with a similar appearance is found in Mexico to Argentina and not in the United States. I since learned that this is a Common Moorhen. There were five of them in a local retention pond when I snapped this photo.

I should have known it wasn't a duck from it's antics. The ducks in the same pond were very jumpy and skitterish. The ducks would fly off with the slightest movement. But the Moorhen was very at ease and allowed me to snap several photos and walk closer and closer. In fact, I grew tired of watching the Moorhen before it got tired of posing.