The American Black Duck is more common along the Atlantic coast than it is inland, but small numbers are regularly seen during migration and over winter in area lakes outside the park boundaries. The small number of ponds and slow-moving rivers in the park limits the occurrence of this species in the park, but it is one of the more commonly encountered ducks in the park, especially in the winter. This species may be more common during migration in the reservoirs along the park?s southwestern boundary than is reported.
This species is on the Partners in Flight Watch List.

Park Naturalist Arthur Stupka (1963) noted it from Greenbrier, Park Headquarters, and especially from Cades Cove. The most recent records are from the Oconaluftee River in April 1981 and Abrams Creek in Cades Cove in mid-January, 1990.

References:

Stupka, A. 1963. Notes on the Birds of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.