Duck ID

Paul Leopard

Paul Leopard

New member
Big debate on another forum about what these ducks are so I came here to hear the experts ... Some say blacks, some say mottled, some say mallards. What do you say?

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I would say they are hybrids.
Too much white on the speculum to be pure mottled ducks.
Where was the pic taken?
 
Outside of a condo in Destin FL

Yes I see, the blue color is right but the white perimeter of the speculum is as wide as a mallard's
 
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Given the location, I would definitely say mallard/mottled duck hybrids. Especially since they are surrounded by immature mallards!
 
I think we can quit wondering where all those domestic ducks that are IDed in the wing survey come from. Park ducks. Some sort of buff wild mallard cross I'd say. The little bit of the wing I can see on any of those light colored ones looks washed out so there is a leucistic gene at work. Most likely from a domestic duck.
Anyone thinking Black or Mottled better bring an ID book with them into the marsh. The two in the center are nice normal mallards.

Tim
 
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Ok, maybe the two in the back have some deep mottled ancestry but look nearly pure mallard to me. I thought this was about the pale youngsters all over in the front. I think they skew the color you think the back ones are.

Tim
 
I don't see anything except mallards....maybe snowys and normal. Certainly not mottled or blacks.

Clint
 
I'm no expert, but I'd call the darker birds in the back mallards--maybe very mallard-like mallard/black hybrids if I saw them up here.

I can report that on two occasions I've had Maine game wardens tell me I should have "killed more" much less mallard-like hybrids.
 
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