Re: [cobirds] Hybrid ducks mystery

First, as a brand new birder, welcome to this great pastime, Karen!

And thanks for your good question.

Some would label those funky birds

 "Mallard (Domestic type)"  which is a checkbox on the eBIrd list.

My personal name for them is "ducks of uncertain heritage."

In the Sibley field guide and some others, there is a drawing of similar birds in the 

"domestic duck" section.

Keep on birding'!

Joe Roller, Denver

To paraphrase an old saw -

"Its a wise duckling who knows who his father is."

On Wed, Feb 7, 2018 at 8:23 AM, Karen Strong <kstrong1109@gmail.com> wrote:

Please forgive my ignorance - I'm a brand new birder & have only been observing for a little over a month.

I saw these ducks yesterday (2/6/18) in the pond in Prospect Park, Wheat Ridge.  My best guess is that they are Mallard-Northern Shoveler hybrids.  They resemble male Mallards, in that they have green heads, yellow bills, and those curly "butt" feathers (I'm sure there's a more proper term for those).  But they were significantly larger than a Mallard they paddled by - they were about the size of a cackling goose that was also nearby.  And then there are those white chest markings.  Northern Shovelers have white chests, and the front duck's bill definitely looks Shoveler-like in shape.  But Northern Shovelers are even smaller than Mallards.  Could the offspring of a Mallard-N. Shoveler mating be larger than either species?  Do these species even "commingle"?

Thanks to anyone who can enlighten me!

Karen Strong

Conifer, CO

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