[Birdtalk] Hybrid ducks

[Ryan O'Donnell]

Hi Doug (and Birdtalk):
 
These weird ducks seem like typical domestic duck crosses to me.  I
don't know why, but many city parks have weird domestic ducks in them.
I assume they are released there by people who want to beautify the park
but are unaware of the beautiful native ducks that come to the ponds.
These domestic ducks (usually descendants of mallards) often hybridize
among each other and with wild Mallards, and sometimes other species,
producing all kinds of odd combinations.  Your first two photos look
like a white domestic Mallard may have mated with a wild Mallard to
produce this bird, but I don't think there's any way to know for sure.
At First Dam here in Logan, we have odd-looking ducks like the ones you
photographed along with domestic Graylag geese and Chinese Swan Geese,
which have all produced various crosses.
 
Thanks for sharing.
 
-Ryan
 
Ryan P. O'Donnell
Department of Biology and the Ecology Center
Utah State University
5305 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-5305
 
http://200birds.blogspot.com