Albino
- Thread starter Joe Brewer
- Start date
TimJ
Well-known member
What I believe the esteemed biologist is saying is that the mallard in the picture has very recent domestic blood in it if not pure domestic blood. He knows them in and out... literally.
Leucism is a very rare mutation in the wild. A Silver Mallard is basically a leucistic mutation almost 100% caused by inbreeding and line breeding done in captivity. There are also Silver Wood Ducks, Red Heads and Mandarins that I can think of off of the top of my head. These are one in a million mutations, if that, in the wild but they are not that rare any more. It isn't that they aren't cool looking birds and we enjoy seeing pictures of them, it is that they are not as rare as one would think and the cause is almost certainly park ducks.
But Clint is much smarter then I am so maybe that isn't what he meant at all.
Tim
Leucism is a very rare mutation in the wild. A Silver Mallard is basically a leucistic mutation almost 100% caused by inbreeding and line breeding done in captivity. There are also Silver Wood Ducks, Red Heads and Mandarins that I can think of off of the top of my head. These are one in a million mutations, if that, in the wild but they are not that rare any more. It isn't that they aren't cool looking birds and we enjoy seeing pictures of them, it is that they are not as rare as one would think and the cause is almost certainly park ducks.
But Clint is much smarter then I am so maybe that isn't what he meant at all.
Tim
Joe Sees
Active member
Quite a few Leucistic geese and mallards showing up all over the forums...especially the Refuge Forums.
Here is a Leucistic Black I shot.
[inline Sleucy4.jpg]
View attachment SLeucy4.jpg
Here is a Leucistic Black I shot.
[inline Sleucy4.jpg]
View attachment SLeucy4.jpg
TimJ
Well-known member
OK I usually only try to post once or twice in a thread like this because people tend to think I'm putting down their ducks if I go on and I AM NOT DOING THAT AT ALL. That is a very cool looking duck you shot but it is not a black duck in my opinion. It is a buff feral mallard. I grew up around domestic ducks on my grandpas farm and some of them had dark or green bills and the smaller breeds could fly. The wing looks like a domestic to me. Probably a first generation domestic wild cross.
Yes wild versions can happen, and do, but they are oh so rare for how many are showing up. It is like having a cough and thinking "I have ebola!" right away. There are far more likely explanations.
Tim
Yes wild versions can happen, and do, but they are oh so rare for how many are showing up. It is like having a cough and thinking "I have ebola!" right away. There are far more likely explanations.
Tim
Mark W
Well-known member
On that "white" Black Duck. How can you tell? If I accidentally shot one of those, I'd be afraid to bring it back with me as if questioned by the CO as to "what did you shoot today", I wouldn't be able to answer.
We shot a strange duck last year and I was fairly certain it was a ringbill but not 100% (weird looking duck). Sure enough, we got back to the trucks to be met by the local CO's. After checking guns, shelss and licenses, they asked - "OK, who wants to identify the ducks". That fell on me. I was sweating the "ringbill" and he questioned my ID. Nice discussion o nthe duck an a pleasant discussion overall. Could he have written a ticket if the duck was mis identified since we are suppose to know what we are shooting at prior to shooting it?
Mark W
We shot a strange duck last year and I was fairly certain it was a ringbill but not 100% (weird looking duck). Sure enough, we got back to the trucks to be met by the local CO's. After checking guns, shelss and licenses, they asked - "OK, who wants to identify the ducks". That fell on me. I was sweating the "ringbill" and he questioned my ID. Nice discussion o nthe duck an a pleasant discussion overall. Could he have written a ticket if the duck was mis identified since we are suppose to know what we are shooting at prior to shooting it?
Mark W