Mallard Hybrid?

[Saul Panzer]

Maybe I'm reaching here, but the bill doesn't look right.

 

Today in Duluth, MN

DSCN4432 by Fred Durkin, on Flickr

Edited October 8, 2019 by Saul Panzer

[RobinHood]

As a non-expert I would lean towards an eclipse male with some Redhead/Scaup genes, but wait for more experienced ID.

I am not sure there is a 100% pure Mallard left in NA.

[Charlie Spencer]

16 minutes ago, RobinHood said:

with some Redhead/Scaup genes

That's what I was getting from the tip of the bill.

[Saul Panzer]

I was thinking possible Pintail also, but Scaup and Redhead were also up for consideration.  Thanks for your thoughts.

[Phalarope713]

This could be an intersex Mallard. They often have odd bill coloration and plumage. Also, structure seems off for any of the aforementioned duck hybrids. 

[Charlie Spencer]

1 hour ago, Phalarope713 said:

Also, structure seems off

In that the body looks too long?

[Phalarope713]

7 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said:

In that the body looks too long?

Yeah, I would expect a redhead hybrid to have a more compact body and taller, rounded head. I suppose this could be a Redhead x Mallard, although based off of photos of this hybrid it seems that such a bird should have clean gray sides and back (Redhead-like) with a brown and green head (Mallard).

[Charlie Spencer]

[Saul Panzer]

Ha!  That is exactly what I did.

[Charlie Spencer]

eBird would prefer you do that instead of either entering the wrong bird or not entering the bird at all.

[birdbrain22]

I think this is an intersex Mallard... but I think another option  is a HY drake Mallard molting into adult plumage. I don't think there is any reason to assume a hybrid is involved.

[von Humboldt]

Not looking at the bill, I see nothing in the bird that indicates hybrid. One could argue the cheeks and other parts of the head are a little too buffy and reddish but I believe if this had a normal yellow bill no one would give it a second thought and classify it as an eclipse male or if it had an orange and black bill as a female with estrogen issues. To my knowledge, estrogen deficiencies (intersex) do not cause any alteration in bill color. Every female I have seen with male plumage still has the classic orange bill with black splotch on the top.

I don't see anything in the shape or size of the bill that is inconsistent with a Mallard. I wonder if that is actually black on the left side of the bill or just a shadow. It looks a lot like the bill on a female Black duck. I think the bill is more drab than a true gray like a Redhead. So, my guess is eclipse male Mallard with the bill color caused by mutation or very distant Black duck genes. 

 

Edited October 12, 2019 by von Humboldt

[Tony Leukering]

I'm with birdbrain22 about this being an odd first-year male Mallard. Bill color in these things can be a bit screwy, and nothing of the plumage looks at all odd for a male Mallard in the midst of its preformative molt.