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the last pic looks a ton like a robber duck (widgeon).... i see a hint of orange feet, and the bill is just like a mallard, but that head (except the bill) looks like a widgeon...the one stripe of green doesn't seem like coincidence, usually mallard drakes plume out kind of randomly, not in a stripe over their eyes, but it is possible...the ring isn't showing around its neck either...that throws me off a bit.... and then there is the belly issue....

i guess it could be a hen with a hormonal imbalance...anybody sex it?

GordonGekko wrote:anybody sex it?

not likely, i just got a text from greenhead22 stating he made it to arkie, so seemingly, this duck is safe

gator

we can only hope....

Hey fellas here's some links to some photos I had found of hybrids. It appears there's quite a bit of different ways that a hybrid can look. The bird in the second link below looks most similar to the one I got the other morning, especially the 3rd photo.

http://www.cam.cornell.edu/~pauljh/photos/maxbd.html

http://www.pbase.com/gtepke/american_bl ... ard_hybrid

http://10000birds.com/hybrid-mallards.htm

These are what I was going by when I was thinking hybrid. I was thinking possibly eclipse plumage myself at first but the overall darker coloration, especially underneath, is what makes me think hybrid. That and also the hole this bird came from has produced several black ducks in the past as well, and I had saw some in the area this year prior to Thanksgiving. Anyway, I'm probably not gonna see one just like it again so he's probably gonna ride the wall in between a greenhead and a black drake I already have.

You may be right. After looking at mine again the bill is a different shade of green almost grayish in color. Still not so sure bout the brest area though. One thing for sure it makes for a very unusual mount!

Thats a definite Wood Duck not plumed

Here's one we shot about 4 years ago. I thought it was a hen with some kind of hormonal imbalance. I thought it odd that it had an orange bill, but after Ramsey instructed me to flip it over and look at the speculum, we deducted that it was indeed a drake.

Notice that the green stripe on the head is similar to the one you shot.

That is a mallard drake. No cross. Probably a this year's hatch. Go to Canada in mid to late September and most all your drake mallards look like that. We have killed some up into mid-October that still have not greened out.

beautiful duck!

Definitely a full blooded drake mallard. Look in the last pic and you can see the green coming through. Just a young bird. Toby dawg your a newbie.

Naw, not trying to take anything away from your kill. It's a beautiful bird and I wouldn't think twice about mounting him. Congratulations.

Full Blooded eclipse mallard! Aint no mix in it!

Why is it everytime someone sees a duck that looks a little funny they automatically think HYBRID???

Cool looking duck though, I'd mount it if it were me!

Wingman wrote:a hen with some kind of hormonal imbalance.

Sounds like you been hangin around my wife!

I say you get a DNA analysis done and lay this debate to rest!!

Sounds interesting... I can't see the dang pic though. I tried to remove the cookies and that didn't work? Somebody enlighten me!

Nevermind, I got it. I had to use one of my dumb cards.