Er, to respond to those of you who asked, via private email, if I am joking
or trying to trick anyone: No! I don't have the sort of free time to think
up some joke like this!

Yes, I'm serious, yes, I've seen this happening, yes, I have witnesses.

Dennis:

>Body molt takes a month or two in birds the size of a Mallard, and changes
>would obviously be patchy as individual feathers were replaced, so you're
>not looking at normal molt.

Could this be the start of a molt, and she's just showing more down than
usual? She's patchy - I mean, she's not tan on one side and white on the
other! She's got tan and white feathers mixed all over her body.

I'm asking for any suggestions ... I wasn't saying that I knew she was losing
colors from her feathers! I was asking *how* this could be happening.

>I assume you have eliminated the hypothesis that the male is changing its
>preferences, finding ever paler females in its travels (but then it would
>have to take the time to woo and win them, not always the easiest thing).

I actually thought of this, but I haven't seen any other light-colored females
in the area (past or future mates!). Even if he changed them daily, you'd
think one of the failed mates would still be hanging around.

>Are there any puddles of bleach lying around the area? No?

Not that I've seen ... and I should think, if it was that, that the male would
also be changing colors.

>I conclude your bird is impossible. At the very least it should go on the
>Tonight Show.

Well, gee, thanks a lot.



Could she have gotten into something and it's now washing out, showing her
true colors? (as in, she was always light golden tan, but got covered in
gunk?) But that leads me to the question, are there light golden tan & white
Mallards? Could this be a cross-breed? Could she be losing feathers, and
therefore showing more down? Could she be a cross-breed, and could she be
moulting and therefore showing more of her cross-bred feathers? See, I don't
even really know when ducks molt, I'm such a beginner, that I don't know if I
should even contemplate the theories that involve molting.

Susan