"Mule duck"?

[timberjack]

Rob, why don't you try posting those pics over at the Refuge. Some of the guys that regularly shoot blacks would probably have an opinion on that. The bill was the first thing I noticed. Don't blacks have a dull green bill?? It's odd to say the least, and an interesting pic........

[injun_23]

Plumage not dark enough to be Black/Mallard mix. INJ

[bluwtr]

Not trying to be funny, but has anyone ever heard of a hen showing male characteristics? It may be some type of hormonal imbalance. I'm a fisheries biologist so Scott would be the to ask, but I do know that fish can change sex depending on conditions, but to my knowledge the higher animals don't do this.

Just my .01$--it ain't enough to be .02$

Wes

[Double R 2]

Take a "look under the tail", Wingman, and first confirm that it is indeed a drake. My initial impression is that it is neither a hybrid nor a drake. I've shot two such similar mallards and each were, in fact, hen birds. I was told by the waterfowl ecologist at State that the birds were an old hen that had experienced a menopausal-like (my interpretation, not his) shift in hormones. Yes, I'm serious.

[iron grip]

Now remember we can get ducks down here from the central, miss, and atlantic flyways so unless its banded you never know where "our ducks" come from. That being said the eastern seaboard has tons of coastal wetlands where mottled ducks breed as well as some mallards. Another possibility is that duck's daddy may have come down to say cameron parish where he met up with a hot mottled mama and followed her to parts unknown where they came up with this weird cross. Not that I'm an expert refuting some of ya'lls ideas I'm just adding some logic to my prior thought.

[Buckingham]

Just put him on the window sill, and he'll be ripe in a few days.

I live in N. Al, and have been fortunate to take 4 Blacks already this year. I genarally take one or two a season. Most Mal-Black Hybrids seem to look mostly like a black duck, with 'hints' of mallard in them,i.e green stripe through the eye, white slash on the speculum.

Most Hybrids appear to be black when picked up, an upon closer inspection reveal themselves as a disappointing hybrid-very common here now-a pure black is again a trophy. Alas, a hybrid is an 'Other', and if you can get six of the big ass mules to carry home, the kids will eat just fine tonight.

[Anatidae]

I'm with 'Double R' on this one........black ducks mallard drakes and crosses have olive bills. Molting mallard drakes have olive bills. The bill on this duck (from the color in the photo) is more like a hen mallard's.

If I remember right......Mottled duck bills are yellowish.......feet are green (aren't they?) Isola is a little out of their normal range of distribution, both nesting and wintering.

Look at the mottling under the tail......and around the breast patch......how speckled it appears. Then you got the hint of a neck ring and green splotches on the head.

It's a 'He-She'.......Drag Queen!

[BR549]

You have a cross between a Widegon(Balpate) Drake and a Mallard Hen. The sex is probably a female by looking at the head and body but there is no set rule on this.

[Double R 2]

The orange bill is the tip off. Also, describe the white wing bar located atop of the speculum does it extend into the tertials (I'm betting that it does)? C'mon Wingman, you gonna "look under the tail" or not? Simple as that.

[Wingman]

I looked under the tail, but didn't look long enough....hate lingering in that area

I spread the wing....the speculum is bordered on top and bottom by white/black just like a mallard and it was the same blue/purple iridescent as the mallard, but it was almost a quarter inch longer from top to bottom than the other mallard we shot.

The black just below the white on the speculum seemed to be more pronounced than on the other mallard.

The guy that shot it seemed to think it was a widgeon cross.

The bill was the same orange as a hen that we shot this morning, but had no black splotches on it like a hen's does. It was just solid "hen orange".

This duck was definitely bigger than the other drake in the photo...or maybe certain areas were. The head looked fatter, the breast was as large as the other.

The mystery continues. LOLA....ell, oh, ell, aay, LOLA! I'm not the world's most masculine man, but I know what I am I'm a man I'm a man...and so is LOLA...ell, oh, ell, aay, LOLA.

[Anatidae]

I looked under the tail, but didn't look long enough....hate lingering in that area

Ramsey......do you get the feeling that the boy doesn't know what he's looking for down there?

Rob....'shouldn't have to look very long......and starin' at it ain't gonna tell ya anything. Take yo finger and rake it over the vent, son. If something pops-up outa there, it's 'his' winky. If it don't .......then apologize profusely.

[Double R 2]

"the speculum is bordered on top and bottom by white/black just like a mallard and it was the same blue/purple iridescent as the mallard, but it was almost a quarter inch longer from top to bottom"

Thanks Wingman. If that reads as I think, then it says the white extends beyond the speculum and 1/4 inch into the greater tertial coverts, a tell-tale sign of a hen mallard wings: "The white bar anterior to the speculum extends onto the greater tertial coverts on all female wings but terminates at the proximal edge of the speculum on nearly all male wings (greater tertial coverts brown, one or more with white edging" per http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/duckplum/mallard.htm).

While aging and sexes waterfowl pursuant to banding, it is oftentimes necessary to do a cloacal examination to properly age the bird. That's what I meant by "look under the tail" Press your index fingers on the back of the bird beneath where the vent is and pull the vent gently with your thumbs. If it's a drake, you'll know it because it'll pop out. But it aint gonna happen because it's a hen.

[bluwtr]

Wingman, Anatidae--Thanks for the great laugh guys--I really needed that.

Thanks again,

Wes

[Caller1]

i got a Drake with a hen breast the other day. Just letting ya'll know.

[Wingman]

And in the name of science I tried and tried but nothing popped out but some black goo. I can't believe, I just got fresh with a mallard.

I don't know how big a mallard "winky" is, but nothing protuded as it would on a coon or otter...of course, I have a pic...here's the link:
http://www.fowlmood.com/files/winky.jpg

And after reviewing this site: http://www.texomaguideservice.com/Ducks ... screen.htm all of that Ramsey-biologist jive suddenly made sense.

I deduct that the bird was indeed a drake. The white strip that borders the speculum doesn't extend into the tertials. But why the orange bill?


Wingman