Looks like it could be a mallard x black duck hybrid? Interbreeding with
mallards is a threat to the black duck population.
Bob Strader
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 7, 2018, at 11:25 PM, Hal Mitchell <halmitchell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hey Missbird,
I have been pondering photos of 2 ducks that has been visiting the lake
behind my house for a while now. One appears to be a mottled duck x mallard
and the other a wood duck x mallard. Obviously these are just my best
guesses and I would love to know what others think. A couple interesting
notes on the potential wood duck x mallard hybrid is that I believe I have
photos of this same bird as a juvenile back from early 2016. Also, the bird
appears to have some sort of zip-tie or plastic coil around its leg. I take
this be some sort of ID method used by aviculturists but I was not aware any
would want to breed these species to each other. Any thoughts are greatly
appreciated.
Photos:
https://flic.kr/p/DCQcpc - Mottled x Mallard
https://flic.kr/p/DCQctR and https://flic.kr/p/22d1BNd - Wood Duck x Mallard ;
Hope all is well,
Hal Mitchell
Southaven, MS