Hi Tweeters,

In response to my query yesterday about a strange Mallard-like duck at
Green Lake, several wonderful Tweeters suggested a drake in eclipse
plumage or molt. It's a possibility (and one I hadn't considered!), but
the differences in size, bill color, and voice suggest that it's another
Tweeters suggestion - a hybrid domestic duck. I didn't realize they came
in non-patchy-white colors!

After talking with one helpful Tweeter, the likeliest possibility appears
to be a silver Swedish-type domestic Mallard or domestic Mallard cross.
There's some neat pictures here:

http://10000birds.com/manky-mallards-domestic-feral-or-just-plain-odd-mallards.htm

and here:

http://10000birds.com/hybrid-mallards.htm

showing domestic crosses and wild hybrid crosses. Our bird has the white
eye stripe, brown head, gray body, and white breast of the silver
Swedish-type, and apprarently the breed is known for being talkative!

Thanks a ton for all the help, everyone!

Kelsey Byers (Green Lake, Seattle)
Department of Biology
------------
kjbyers at uw.edu
(978)460-3581
KB1ONA