There are four photos in the full post.
A few weeks ago we noticed these three ducks all hanging out together that looked a bit like mallards but they were darker in spots and the coloration was just not typical of a mallard. In addition,one guy had some strange poofy feathers on his head. They were also much larger, almost goose size, compared to the typical mallard.
At first I thought they might be melanistic mallards, expressing excess feather pigmentation. However after reading more on melanistic animals I think they are probably some type of mallard hybrids. When we first saw these guys they seemed out of their element in the local pond. All three hung out very close together the whole time we observed them even dabbling in unison for food. Perhaps another case of pet ducks released into the wild just like our encounters with the Pekin and Mandarin ducks in the past.
If anyone can shed some light as to the exact origins of these hybrids it is welcome. Until then they remain a bit of a mystery to me.
nature has no boss 
A real mixed bacg, but clearly with a fair bit of Mallard in them. Agreed that is a remarkably poofy hairdo :0)
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Hi, definitely some mallard there but what else remains quite a mystery to me. Maybe some special breeds used in duck shows if there is such a thing as a duck show. Hope you are having a great day.
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Really funny! I have a cousin who is a birder. I will ask her.
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Thanks, they were quite a group. Interested to hear what you cousin thinks.
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You’re welcome 🙂 They are expert birders who live in Canada.
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We are starting to build concensus here.:-)
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lol
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My cousin already responded and their guess is as you thought…the mallards have cross bred with a domestic duck.
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Great, now we just need to figure out which domestic ones? Probably a large on based upon the size of tow of these guys. Thanks and have a great day.
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I was going to say a Merganser Duck only because I recently saw them in my pond here and they have those plumes that stick straight up.
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My vote goes for a hybrid with a domestic breed.
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Thanks Maya, sounds like we are getting to the bottom of this. Will have to do more research and try to determine which domestics and perhaps how many?
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The guy with the tuft of hair on his head is one fashionable looking duck.
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Hi Ken, that poof of feathers sure makes a statement. Wonder if the ladies like it?
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What a fashionable group of mutt ducks. Seems like I read that mallards are particularly prone to producing hybrids. As are scaups, which may or may not be a part of these floating fashion fluffs. I particularly like the last photo- reminds me of most photos of the loch ness and yeti.
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Hi Laurel, I have heard that as well. The last photo is actually the first one we snapped of these guys. We were looking out the car window and all three of these strange looking ducks were out of water looking at us with a confused look I think the car was still moving when the shot was taken. We did a double take since they were goose sized but looked like mallards. Hope you are having a great day.
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He looks so cute with that plume on his head!
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Hi Wendy, cute indeed and I hope the lady ducks find it that way as well. Hope your week is off to a great start.
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Very cool!
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Thanks, it was fun to see these guys and quite a surprise and mystery. Hope your day is going well.
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Whatever they are, in their own right, they are beautiful and obviously enjoying life! As it should be! I do like the little poofy hairdo though! 😉
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I think we need to come up for a name for the guy with the poofy hairdo. Hope your Monday is treating you well.
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Here’s a site that sells ducks: http://www.metzerfarms.com/DuckWelcome.cfm Looks like they are Crested/Welsh Harlequin/Cayugas! LOL!
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Thanks, looks like maybe a bit of blue or black Swedish is in the mix as well. These guys appear to be another case of domestic ducks returned to the wild. Hope they are not used to getting all their chow from a feeder.
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Maybe they are escapees from an evil genetic breeder, (a mad scientist messing with their DNA), tasting the free life at last! 😉
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That’s my hope. 🙂
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They look a bit like the crested duck breeds I’ve seen at shows in Australia, so I suppose they may have interbred, but as to which one, that’s a harder question to answer! http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Crest/BRKCrestedDucks.html
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Thanks Jane, now we are getting somewhere. Looks like the poofy hair guy could be a crested swedish and the other plain old sweedish?
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Yes, they do look similar, don’t they. 🙂
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It is an eye opener for sure. I did not even think that there was so much variety in poultry/show ducks. I wonder how much those judges are impressed with the crest?
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Heheh….I have no idea how impressed the judges are but they certainly made me smile! I think some of them look hilarious. 🙂
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Some of the white crested ducks appear to have a bit of an english wig look to them.
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Interesting as I wonder if they are additional generations that the hybridization (is that a word?) has affected, as we have quite a group here of hybrid Mallards ranging in color from black and white, to mottled brown/white, most still have distinctive tail curl. Additionally, it is my understanding they will mate with anything that will sit still long enough so unless DNA testing is in the works, it may be very difficult to ascertain the exact species. hahahaa 🙂 Excellent pictures and topic! Love it!
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Hi and thanks for the thoughtful comment. I think it probably required several generations of cross breeding for specific traits that made those guys what they are. It will be interesting if they make this pond their home and if they end up breeding with some of the other ducks on this pond in the spring.
Thaks again for taking the time to give your thoughts as we appreciate it an shave a great day.
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I agree with everyone else…
Mallards with a few domestic genes in there!
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Thanks, it appears we have a agreement on matter then. They are a unique trio to be hanging out with the more wild type mallards. Hope you are having a great weekend.
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Whatever their parentage, they are lovely to look at!
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Hi Margaret, thanks for the feedback we appreciate it. Although they may be considered mutts they are good looking for sure. Hope your day is going well.
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I love your photo of mystery!
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Thanks Lee, these funky guy still remain a bit mysterious to me.
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The “poof” may be the result of another bird poking his head and disturbing the feathers? Interesting, Artsyberger
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Hi and thanks for the thoughts. After a bit of research it appears that the poof is bred into these ducks as someone somewhere found the poof desirable. Crazy but it appears true. Furthermore these poofy ducks are shown at duck shows.
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More proof that humans are wacky! LOL
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Or is the more poof? 🙂
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Just saw this post now (more than a month after you first posted!)–can I add my two cents? We have both Cayugas and Welsh Harlequins so I have some experience with those domestic breeds. Looking at the ducks in the pic and seeing that you photographed them in the wild, I would definitely say they are a combination of domestic breeds that someone released which then possibly mated with a mallard but not necessarily. I don’t see any Welshie in there–Cayuga, possibly, and the tuft is a genetic feature of the White Tufteds but also shows up in these wild/domestic hybrids. And, btw, the domestic birds are generally larger than wild mallards except for special breeds such as the Call. If you’re really interested, I recommend Dave Holderread’s book, “Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks” for a good overview of domestic breeds. PS, Happy New Year!
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