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Duck ID, Northern NJ, Today - I give up

Discussion

4 replies
Posted by Rebecka on January 8, 2013 at 1:26 PM
Duck ID, Northern NJ, Today - I give up
I've looked on my eBird app, and in every guidebook I own. I'm at a loss. Please help. I can't figure out who this black and white duck is. She (I assume) was clearly paired with this male Mallard. They were with 3 other Mallard pairs and one pair of Canada Geese on a small pond in Hackettstown, NJ (Northwest part of the State).

Thanks so much. Please hurry with your replies; the suspense is killing me. :biggrin:
Posted by Rebecka on January 8, 2013 at 2:09 PM
After poking around the net - my latest theory is maybe it's a Swedish Blue Duck x Mallard hybrid?
Posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 8, 2013 at 2:57 PM
Malards are known for interbreding with any other duck. The result can be some odd combintions, with offspring not looking much like either parent.
To me, the white breast suggests a shoveler in the heritage somewhere..
I saw some very weird shoveler cross-breeds in Bosque; I'l post some eventually.

Sandy
Posted by Brian Gatlin on January 8, 2013 at 4:15 PM
generally when a mallard shows white in the plumage it reflects breeding with domestic ducks.
Posted by Ron Bielefeld on March 10, 2013 at 2:04 PM
Just a mallard x domestic cross. Nothing more. All domestic duck "breeds" or "varieties" are mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). The only exception is domesticated Muscovy ducks. They are in a separate family altogether.