Interesting Gadwall

[Craig F]

I've shot a fair amount of gadwall over the years, but this particular drake from the other day stood out a bit. It has a very distinct black ring on its neck. Some googling showed that it seems to be a semi-uncommon color variation. I can't seem to remember shooting one similar in the past but not sure if anyone else has encountered this. I did put it in the freezer.

 

[Dani]

He is a beauty. I've never seen that either but I have shot few gadwall in my life

 

[SJ Fairbank]

Cool looking bird. He's wearing a bow tie.

 

[Eric Patterson]

Gadwall are the most commonly bagged duck in our area. I don't recall ever seeing plumage like that. Kind of cool because I doubt it's from domestic genes, rather a rarer natural attribute.

 

[Carl]

I’ve shot hundreds of gadwalls and never seen one like that. Very cool.

 

[Craig F]

Thanks for the replies, I wanted to get some feedback from those of you like Eric and Carl who I know shoot a lot of gaddies. Confirmed my suspicions that it was something unique.

 

[Jim Donofrio]

I've shot a fair amount of gadwall over the years, but this particular drake from the other day stood out a bit. It has a very distinct black ring on its neck. Some googling showed that it seems to be a semi-uncommon color variation. I can't seem to remember shooting one similar in the past but not sure if anyone else has encountered this. I did put it in the freezer.

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beautiful bird Craig

 

[Jay K]

That bird checks all the boxes, Craig. Neck ring, head coloration difference, secondaries, etc. It will look beautiful on the wall. Very nice bird.

 

[jode hillman]

I've shot a fair amount of gadwall over the years, but this particular drake from the other day stood out a bit. It has a very distinct black ring on its neck. Some googling showed that it seems to be a semi-uncommon color variation. I can't seem to remember shooting one similar in the past but not sure if anyone else has encountered this. I did put it in the freezer.

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That's pretty cool Craig.

I've never shot a gadwall like that but I've shota few teal l with white rings around their neck. I think there's a lot more variation in ducks then we give them credit for.

 

[William Mills]

I’ll have to do some digging but I shot one with a white neck ring 2 years ago in Jersey. I think it’s just one of those things that certain birds are a little odd. I nerd out on ducks and spend a good bit of time studying birds after I shoot them. They tend to be more unique than we give them credit for if we don’t really look into them. Wigeon are a good example, no two birds are ever the same. The variation of the green stripe and color of the face and how big the white patch are always greatly varied. Gaddies seem to be the same way with head color and head size and occasionally a neck ring. This one you shot though just is an extreme example. Could it possibly have something to do with age?

 

[Craig F]

That's what I'm wondering if it's an age thing. Definitely a large bodied, healthy bird. A lot of times you'll get the more immature gaddies that definitely aren't as pronounced with the wing patches, head shape, pure black bill, etc. and they seem to be smaller. I haven't shot a lot of wigeon in recent years, but I used to shoot my fair share and for sure every one is different. Shovelers are another bird that there's huge variations in how colorful they are depending on maturity level.

Then there's these guys.

 

[William Mills]

That's what I'm wondering if it's an age thing. Definitely a large bodied, healthy bird. A lot of times you'll get the more immature gaddies that definitely aren't as pronounced with the wing patches, head shape, pure black bill, etc. and they seem to be smaller. I haven't shot a lot of wigeon in recent years, but I used to shoot my fair share and for sure every one is different. Shovelers are another bird that there's huge variations in how colorful they are depending on maturity level.

Then there's these guys.

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So black ducks of course are something we get to study often and throughout the season. They are one that I assume age plays a huge role in their appearance. The bigger they are (especially in drakes) I’ve noticed they are darker with a puffier head and more grey/silver on the back. The smaller ones are always more mottled and no silver on their back and the head always looks like a wet dog

 

[William Mills]

And black ducks speculum is often varied. Some white on the trailing edge and some speckles of green in the head are both just natural occurrences in some full bred black ducks. It’s not always a hybrid when you see those two characteristics

 

[Jay K]

And black ducks speculum is often varied. Some white on the trailing edge and some speckles of green in the head are both just natural occurrences in some full bred black ducks. It’s not always a hybrid when you see those two characteristics

Thank you for clarifying this. The first thing we always hear (here in NJ) is "white on trailing edge = hybrid." Maybe you can clarify this but I've also heard that hybrids are not as common as people think. With that, I also have heard that hybrid black x hybrids will only pair with other hybrids? Was wondering if that was actually true. Completely agree with what you said. The bigger black ducks really morph into something remarkable. Bright red legs, big stout bodies, difference in head coloration, etc. They are really special birds. Wish we could shoot more than 2, to be honest.

Craig has see this pic. This is one I had come back for the wall last season. Craig's is even leaps and bounds more impressive.

 

[jode hillman]

I’ll have to do some digging but I shot one with a white neck ring 2 years ago in Jersey. I think it’s just one of those things that certain birds are a little odd. I nerd out on ducks and spend a good bit of time studying birds after I shoot them. They tend to be more unique than we give them credit for if we don’t really look into them. Wigeon are a good example, no two birds are ever the same. The variation of the green stripe and color of the face and how big the white patch are always greatly varied. Gaddies seem to be the same way with head color and head size and occasionally a neck ring. This one you shot though just is an extreme example. Could it possibly have something to do with age?

So true.,The Black duck points are great! Everyone thinks they see a speck of green and white trailing edge and they shot a hybrid. And as you know that's just not true.

Here's one of my favorite teal from last year!

 

[Carl]

I’m not an expert on waterfowl breeding habits, but I’m positive that hybrid black ducks will back-breed to non-hybrid black ducks or mallards if presented the chance. Especially in areas where the species mix. Thats how we end up with hybrids to begin with.
After reading up on the genetics of waterfowl and the reclassification/ splitting of the dabbler genus, it’s pretty clear that there is a fine line between the species in the mallard/black/mottle/Mexican ducks.
And like many suspected bluewings and cinnamon teal aren’t really teal but are shovelors.
And gadwalls are actually wigeons.

 

[Craig F]

It should be white on the leading edge of the speculum to designate "hybrid" as far as the law is concerned right?, but even that is subject to the CO's interpretation. I only count birds as hybrids if they're very obviously a hybrid. You definitely see green in a lot of older, mature drake black duck's heads. I wanted to post a black duck just because as all the Jersey guys have backed up, every bird is different.

This one I would count as a hybrid very obviously. Mallard wings, very pronounced green stripe.





vs. what I would consider another very nice black

 

[Jeff Reardon]

It should be white on the leading edge of the speculum to designate "hybrid" as far as the law is concerned right?, but even that is subject to the CO's interpretation. I only count birds as hybrids if they're very obviously a hybrid. You definitely see green in a lot of older, mature drake black duck's heads. I wanted to post a black duck just because as all the Jersey guys have backed up, every bird is different.

This one I would count as a hybrid very obviously. Mallard wings, very pronounced green stripe.

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vs. what I would consider another very nice black

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Gorgeous black duck! Like you, I am very conservative in what I count as a hybrid for bag limit purposes. Two clear white lines on the speculum, lots of green on a drake. A group of four of us returned to the launch a few years back and were met by the game wardens. It was back in the 1 black duck bag days. It had been a good day, and we each had our single black duck, several mallards between us, and two birds we called hybrids. Of coure we had all gotten very selective about shots once we each had a black duck in hand, and ended up quitting early with mostly blacks flying. The warden looked at our birds and called out 3 of our 4 black ducks as hybrids and told us we should have kept shooting. I have no idea what the biology says, but he we clearly calling out any mallard like attributes as hybrids. I'm staying conservative though--don't want to run into another officer who makes different calls.

 

[Dani]

If anyone can access this article, it is a good one talking about hybridization between mallards and mottled ducks and how to identify them. I participated in this study by supplying one of the researchers with mottled duck tissue samples when I shot mottled ducks. I don't have access to that journal and lost the article somewhere in a hard drive so I don't still have the entire article. If anyone can access the article, I'd love to get a copy of it again.

Article link

 

[William Mills]

Thank you for clarifying this. The first thing we always hear (here in NJ) is "white on trailing edge = hybrid." Maybe you can clarify this but I've also heard that hybrids are not as common as people think. With that, I also have heard that hybrid black x hybrids will only pair with other hybrids? Was wondering if that was actually true. Completely agree with what you said. The bigger black ducks really morph into something remarkable. Bright red legs, big stout bodies, difference in head coloration, etc. They are really special birds. Wish we could shoot more than 2, to be honest.

White on the leading edge of the speculum is a more accurate predictor of hybridization than the trailing edge of the speculum. And hybrids will absolutely breed with pure bred ducks however it would seem that they are more likely to breed with mallards (which are nearly all descendants of game farm mallards here on the east coast) than they are to breed with pure black ducks. Ramsey Russel did three interviews with Dr. Phil Lavetsky on his “Duck Season Somewhere” podcast that are collectively very informative and able to explain all this much better than I can. He has done a ton of interesting DNA work and has really pulled back the covers on the mysteries surrounding all this. It’s really worth a listen