Curious Ducks

[Moira]

I went to see the Varied Thrush today and hit High Park on the way home .  I didn't see the Wood Duck (reason for my visit), but saw these.  Are they just mallards or a cross of  The ducks were very frisky today - lots of chasing and splashing!






Plus this little guy:


Thank you!

[denis]

unusual ducks for sure.
the 3rd. looks like a cross between a mallard,and an american widgeon.great shots by the way.
denis

[MEGHAN]

Moira,
I have seen the 2 ducks in your first 2 shots down at High Park before.
I was told there names are "Brownie" and "Greenie" Quite fitting.  
From what I was told they were dumped there a few years ago.
There was origionally 3 but 1 had perished over a winter.
The locals take great care of them by feeding them and making sure they are OK.
There was a post here a few weeks ago (that has since been removed) about them being stuck was out in the middle of the pond after it had frozen over.
I guess they never usually stray out that far.
But by the looks of it, from your photos, they have managed to return closer to shore and seem to be doing fine.
Hopefully the person who informed me can add a little more info to this post for you.
Meghan
**Edit**
Here is a story that ran in The Sun about their rescue and includes a little info on the ducks themselves
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoa ... 89666.html

[Brian Bailey]

The first 2 appear to be crosses with domestic ducks.  I don't think the third one is a cross. I think it's actually an old female.  The plumage isn't listed in any of my books, but I'm pretty sure that I have heard from a very authoritative source (the current chair of the OBRC) that older females take on a male-like appearance.  I think it's due to a lack of estrogen.

BB

[thouc]

The third one could also be a Mallard x Black Duck hybrid. It looks like the hybrid pictured in my bird guide, with the Black Duck body and some green on the head.

Mallards seem to be able to hybridize with a lot of other duck species. See pictures at http://10000birds.com/hybrid-mallards.htm

/Thomas

[Tyler]

I agree that it is a male Black x mallard. These cross is commonly seen at various location in southern Ontario in the winter. Great way to tell the sex of mallards/blacks is by their bills. Females and males bill colour and spotting is different. It's a great way to figure out who is who when they are not in breeding plummage.