Hybrids?

[luckyone347]

Got some birds the other day 3 of them right off the start. After the retrieve the ducks were checked over. looked to be one black and two unknowns. Look to be black duck colored but have slight white around the color on their wings?... but not enough to call it a hen mallard... Hybrids? was my thought. Are there a lot of birds out there like this never killed a hybrid and confused what these ducks may be. Anyone shot any hybrids?

[Mary]

Black ducks are not wild ducks normally. Could be a hatchery mallard x Cayuga that has more mallard characteristics and can fly to be among wild birds and end up shot. I raise hatchery hatched mallards that have crossed with my Cayuga ducks producing a larger duck than either. I doubt they could fly. But, if the genetics ran more to the mallard they might be able to fly. The mallard markings on the wings lead to this direction of thought. Would not expect hybrids in the wild unless someone's domestic birds got free somehow.

[goosedragon]

Black ducks are not wild ducks normally. Could be a hatchery mallard x Cayuga that has more mallard characteristics and can fly to be among wild birds and end up shot. I raise hatchery hatched mallards that have crossed with my Cayuga ducks producing a larger duck than either. I doubt they could fly. But, if the genetics ran more to the mallard they might be able to fly. The mallard markings on the wings lead to this direction of thought. Would not expect hybrids in the wild unless someone's domestic birds got free somehow.

I hate to disagree but there are wild ducks known as the American Black Duck and the Mottled Duck that crosses too darn well with wild Mallards. [I doubt you ever see them in western flyways] people are concerned that these will completely disappear due to cross breeding. Florida does not allow Mallards to be kept because of the fear of crossing with the Mottled duck. The Mallard duck can cross breed with 63 other species so many fertile hybrids are found. For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard_duck ~gd

[Oregon Swedes]

Seriously? You are shooting ducks that you can not identify before you shoot them? That's a good way to end up with some serious fines.

[Mary]

GD, we don't see the American Black duck or the Mottled Duck here. I should have checked my bird ID books before blabbing.

[Evy]

I hate to disagree but there are wild ducks known as the American Black Duck and the Mottled Duck that crosses too darn well with wild Mallards. [I doubt you ever see them in western flyways] people are concerned that these will completely disappear due to cross breeding. Florida does not allow Mallards to be kept because of the fear of crossing with the Mottled duck. The Mallard duck can cross breed with 63 other species so many fertile hybrids are found. For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard_duck ~gd

Right on, GD. Am. Blacks have all but disappeared in the northeast. I see ''luckyone" doesn't give a location, but I can't imagine anywhere that it's open season on hunting ducks anyway. If he's hunting illegally & doesn't know what he's shooting, I hope he cooks up a nice, juicy Merganser for dinner.
The bird in question is probably a Black. The white bar along the speculum ( blue on the wing ) is right for them, same as a Mallard.

[goosedragon]

GD, we don't see the American Black duck or the Mottled Duck here. I should have checked my bird ID books before blabbing.

Without sounding like a Smarta$$ I don't think it is widely known, we used to have a professional wild waterfowl worker (Clint) on here that mentioned it in a post and we sent a few emails back and forth on the subject. I loved the Australian spotted ducks sold by Holdereed and someone (Patrick?) wouldn't beleive the backstory on where/how they came to be.

[goosedragon]

Right on, GD. Am. Blacks have all but disappeared in the northeast. I see ''luckyone" doesn't give a location, but I can't imagine anywhere that it's open season on hunting ducks anyway. If he's hunting illegally & doesn't know what he's shooting, I hope he cooks up a nice, juicy Merganser for dinner.
Evy you are truly EVIL! I make that mistake ONCE! No more wild ducks for me, give me a nice tender Muscovy or Long Island style duckling. The bird in question is probably a Black. The white bar along the speculum ( blue on the wing ) is right for them, same as a Mallard.

BTW back on the post about blinds "luckyone" claimed to be in Texas but I think he lives in a state of ignorance or is just trying to get a rise out of us. ~gd

[Patrick]

gd is right about there being a lot of natural hybrids. Some of the field guides even picture a few of the more common ones. One of the concerns is that most hybrids are sterile, so reducing the possibility that a pure bird will contibute to the population when it breeds with another species. The same holds true even if the hybrid is fertile. I still don't buy the Australian Spotted origin story, due to the number of species that are involved and the likelyhood that they will all combine to produce highly fertile offspring. The mysterious Australian species which is never named leads an aura of secrecy to the whole story, which to my way of thinking is more the tactic of the charlitan than the proud breed originator or promoter. If it matters, I've never bought the story of the origin of the Cayuga either, as coming from either the wild black duck species, or from a solid black mutation that occured on someone's pond in NY, depending on which story you follow. I love Cayugas, but that doesn't make me want to believe that which I know to be unlikely, simply out of loyalty to a breed or concern for it's reputation. I still like facts and the truth best, even if that story isn't as sensational or interesting.

[goosedragon]

Patrick do you ever read anything that isn’t published by the APA or the ABA?
Try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard#Breeding it might open your eyes. Frankly I don’t give a Rat’s Rear for what you believe, everyone can have their own opinion but you can’t have your own facts. Man can produce such things as Magpies but evolution cannot produce a Cayuga? Which is really the more unlikely?
FYI Cayuga Lake at 40miles long and an average of 1.7 miles wide is hardly “someone’s pond in NY”

[JRS]

Well since 99% of all wild waterfowl in the lower 48 are in the heat of the primary moult right now and completely ground bound it's safe to say this is a bogus thread. As well as no open season in those same 48 states in July.