Monday, March 17, 2008

Duck Identification?



Identifying the birds I photographed around Lake Parker has been a most enjoyable endeavor. A good photograph displayed on the monitor has been quite helpful while referring to the bird identification guides. In the case of this pair of ducks, positive identification has eluded me.

The female, to the left, displays feather and bill markings consistent with a Mallard hen but the drake remains somewhat of a mystery to me. The bill coloration and markings are consistent with an American Black Duck as is the body coloration while the dark green stripe on the head is not. My best guess after quite a bit of research is that it is a Black Duck/Mallard cross. What ever they are I found them to be a pretty pair of ducks in a great natural setting, perfect for another Southern Country Capture.

If anyone can positively identify this duck I would certainly appreciate your comment.

7 comments:

Lori said...

I'm afraid I don't know my ducks, Salty...but enjoy the photo anyway.

And that little squirrel below...that is so cute! I know they are rodent relatives, but I think they're so adorable..

ASHE said...

I did a little googling of duck images and I think you are probably right! The only other possibility I saw was a note that said that male mallards can look like mallards crossed with black ducks whenever they are changing to their summer plumage. Can't imagine that that was happening in February!

This is the link, if you want to have a look-see:

www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/domducks.htm

Sand said...

Perhaps you found a rare new species? Wouldn't that be neat? Great shot as always. I have enjoyed all the recent bird photos.

Anonymous said...

You are most likely right. Or a gene defect. It is a nice looking couple.

photowannabe said...

Great shot but I'm not up on my duck knowledge either.

Tom said...

Hi Salty
Spent a bit of time on this for you myself... can not put a name on it for you, but I can throw another possible cross in there. Our Mallard males are very randy and seem to jump on other ducks all the time. We have a breed of Duck called a Teal.. They have a green stripe just like these. Male Teals are more colourful than the ones you show but it could be another possiblity. Ducks are known to inter-breed.

Chad Oneil Myers said...

Great image.

...One is a "Sandy" the other is a "Chad" ;)