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My question is "Do they normally have a little green irridescence on their head? You can click on it for a larger picture.

Beautiful duck. I want me one of them.

That right there is the mostest, bestest duck that there is!!!

I agree sporty. Pretty duck and congrats.

That's a fine looking duck right there. Assuming it will be mounted?

Congrats on your BD.

I was privliged enough last year to get my first one also. Now, it resides in the Den mounted with a greenhead. Had a friend take(2) last year, one with a band!!!! Didn't mount either......Again, Kudo's on one of the most sought after duck's here in the Delta!

Congrats on the bird

I got my eye on a black duck that's been hangin' around. He's gonna slip up one day and follow the wrong mallards down the chute. Course, getting the mallards in the chute is like to kill me!!

mottlet

oh yeah, he's going on the mantle. Standing pose, preening, with wing lowered to show off spiculum.

I'm no expert but I have one mounted in my office. The blackduck that you shot appears to have a white band on the bottom side of his speculum as well as a blue speculum and not a purple one. This means that he either is a mallard hybrid or possibly a mottled duck. Green on the head makes me think he is a hybrid. Good ole Muleduck.

I don't wanna be a smarty here, but I am pretty sure that is a mottled duck (which is basically a black with a single line of white in the wing speculum). I say that since we have mottled ducks as our main duck down here on the coast, as they don't migrate much and stay here year round. That is a beautiful duck, either way. If you shot a mottled duck up in the delta, that is even rarer than shooting a true "black." Congratulations either way!

i was thinking along the mallard/black duck hybrid lines too. But was reading about duck identification by the feathers. What i found said bd's can have some white in their spiculum. But it didnt mention any green in head.

I'm pretty sure it's not a mottled duck, we got two of those on opening day.

I've noticed Suzies often have that same green on their heads.

BTW GC, I live and hunt over around Natchez.

Speculum is too blue for a true blackduck.

See the section on Blackducks.
http://www.greenheadhunter.com/duckid.html

yeah, i think it's a hybrid mall/bd. I would agree with GC except it is so dark and the green in the head.

Check these refs out:

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/bird ... s.htm#fig3

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/bird ... ackdck.htm

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/bird ... mblack.htm

notice all these show pics with blueish spiculums.

I've killed alot of mottled ducks and I tend to lean toward the mallard/black duck hybrid ID. Just my 2cents...