Over 30 species of ducks can be found in Japan. The majority of these birds are migratory; except the Eastern Spot-billed duck, it is the only duck that is recorded to breeds in Japan to date. The Eastern Spot-billed duck was described by English biologist Robert Swinhoe in 1866 under its current name (Anas Zonorhyncha). Anas is the Latin name for a duck. Zōnē means "band" or "girdle" and rhunkhos meaning "bill." The eastern spot-billed duck was considered a subspecies of the Indian spot-billed duck. American ornithologist Bradley Livezey in 1991 proposed that the eastern spot-billed duck should be promoted to the species status. Feild work in Kanto region Japan and Hokkaido Japan, Russia, Hong Kong and China, was carried out and found that although both the eastern spot-billed duck and the Indian spot-billed duck a subspecies bred in their region at the same time, and mixed pairs was scarcely observed. Based on these observations the American Ornithologists' Union recognized the eastern spot-billed duck as a separate species in 2008. These ducks are about the same size as the most familiar and most widespread duck in the world the mallard. To tell them apart is simple the spot-bill have a scaly patterned body with a blue speculum and a bright spotted yellow bill, and the male has a red spot on the underside of the bill, their wings are a crescent shape with the top wings being a whiteish color. The male mallard duck has a completely yellow bill with a small back nail at the tip and a bright iridescent green head. The female mallard has a dirty orange bill but the amount of colour differentiation can vary widely, they have the same spatulate shape bill as the male mallards.  Blain Photographed this spot-billed duck while leading a group of international birders on a Hokkaido birding & wildlife photo tour.

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