Subject: [Tweeters] mystery geese/ducks
Date: Dec 7 16:40:59 2008
From: Martin Muller - martinmuller at msn.com


Marvin,

Sorry for the delayed response, I'm on tweeters digest mode.
I'm not arguing with other opinions you received, just giving my two cents worth.
Since we don't know the parentage we will never know for sure.......but, looking at your photos, my fist impression was Muscovy (white domestic variety) x Mallard hybrid.

The heavy (keeled) body and relatively long squared-off tail, with the overall larger size. The bill is more mallard-like.
Non of these characteristics by themselves rule out other possibilities, mind you.
But check out the images of a pair of Muscovy Ducks on

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/domducks.htm<http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/domducks.htm>

Note the female in the foreground, and her plumage coloration. I'd consider it a possibility, despite the birds in your pictures having more dark on the dorsal side of the neck.

In the past we had a male Muscovy Duck (dark "wild" coloration) who produced some interesting mixed offspring with Mallard females who found themselves "in the wrong place at the wrong time." Those offspring were similar in build to the birds you show, but mostly irrdecent dark green (from the "wild" Muscovy cloration).

Always fun to speculate.

Martin Muller, Seattle, WA
martinmuller at msn.com<mailto:martinmuller at msn.com>

----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Greaves<mailto:lbviman at blackfoot.net>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu<mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 3:07 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] mystery geese/ducks


They are mallards with domestic genes dominating... Domestic mallards
tend to be larger and more aggressive than their wild kin - Jim Greaves

At 01:01 PM 12/6/2008, Marvin Hoekstra wrote:
>Meanwhile I saw a pair of ducks or geese
>somewhat larger than mallards standing on the shore. I was not able to
>identify them, although they are probably a form of some common species.
>Check out these photos if you can help identify them:
>
>http://www.flickr.com/photos/21019806 at N05/
>
>Thanks,
>
>Marvin S. Hoekstra