Just mallard? (Northern Virginia, Nov. 27, 2020) (1 Viewer)

[howiewu]

Hi, I took this picture today in Northern Virginia.

The male duck's head pattern seems interesting -- this was taken in the late afternoon, and the setting sun cast a warm tone. But still, you can see the two shades (green and purplish-red) of color in its head. I don't see any other traits that say it's not a mallard, so I assume it is "just" a mallard?

Thanks,
Howard

 

[Microtus]

It is a male Mallard

 

[KC Foggin]

Mallard for me as well.

 

[raymie]

The head of a male Mallard can sometimes appear to be colors other than green depending on how the light hits it.

 

[Nutcracker]

Reflecting the autumn foliage, I suspect!

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

In my opinion the cheeks and crown really are brown here and there is only a green iridescent patch starting behind the eye... so I think this might be a bird with a very little bit of Mottled duck or black duck ancestry a few generations in the past...

Imagine such a bird

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rhz06B2J7V8/VPHIGY96OWI/AAAAAAAAFcU/EW9twvDe3QU/s1600/1838.jpg

- which may already be a backcross of a hybrid to mallard, backcrossing further to mallard

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

https://i2.wp.com/hughvandervoort.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Black-Duck-Mallard-Hybrid-2019-2.jpg?w=1024

Furthermore there are cases where the ground coloration in the hybrids head is rather reddish,like the one linked here