Mallard? Sleepy Hollow, NY (1 Viewer)

[gsimonel]

I'm going through and organizing some photos, when I came across this photo taken at Pocantico Lake (Lower Hudson Valley region) in late March. I saw this duck, which I'd assumed was a female mallard, in a group of mergansers, mallards, buffleheads and black ducks. But When I zoomed in on it, it looked odd. There's no mottling, and the color seems off. Is it female mallard, perhaps mid molt, or is it something else that I can't recognize?

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

My guess is black duck. Found in NY, yellow bill, light face.

Apparently mallards and black ducks readily hybridize, so there is that as well.

 

[Butty]

Domestic duck.

 

[nartreb]

It's a mallard with odd colors, due to domestic ancestry. Not American Black Duck - those are, well, blacker. There's nothing in the photo to suggest an ABD hybrid either.

 

[birdmeister]

I'd consider this at least a Mallard x Black Duck hybrid, quite possibly pure American Black Duck. It looks to me like there's water flowing off the front half of the bird, with the back half being a more accurate representation of the bird's color. No green is visible on the head, which is paler and contrasts sharply with the rest of the body. The bill is solidly yellow/greenish, good for male American Black Duck and not a female Mallard. The tail feathers look good for American Black Duck too, although it's possible that those two central tail feathers are longer and simply matted down.

The overall suite of features suggests American Black Duck over other options, I think.

 

[MelospizaMelodiaFan]

I found this article to be interesting reading, wanting to learn more about mallard hybrids: Hybrid Mallards – 10,000 Birds

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

I think it could well be an American Black duck, but a 100% safe ID isn´t possible from that single photo.
This is because I think the breast and part of the flanks may be wet and therefore showing an odd pale greyish color due to reflection on wet plumage.
if there are further photos this might be ID able

 

[Butty]

water flowing off the front half of the bird, with the back half being a more accurate representation of the bird's color

I see where you're coming from.

I came across this photo

Got any more of it?

 

[gsimonel]

It does seem like some sort of hybrid. There were both mallards and black ducks at the lake the day I took the photo. I have only one other photo of that specific duck, which is very blurry, but I'll upload it anyway.