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Duck Question



Hello Again,

    About every other day for the past week I have had a flock of about 15-20 
mallards coming into the backyard in the mornings to eat what ever the 
passerines and doves throw to the ground under the feeders. Admixed with this 
flock is a much darker duck that is slightly larger than the mallards with a 
slightly longer, more pointed tail. Once I thought I glimpsed a violet wing 
patch, but today with overcast skies and poor lighting conditions the 
inconspicuous wing patch appeared somewhat green. I thought this might be an 
American Black Duck, but when I got a decent look at its throat today with 
the spotting scope, the throat was not streaked. When the ducks took off 
flying, I could not make out any white under the wings, though I did not get 
an excellent look at the under wings, as I was standing about 20 feet above 
the ducks. Also, the dark duck was somewhat obscured by being in the center 
of the flock of mallards, when they took off flying. The bill of the dark 
duck was not uniformly yellow either. My impression at this point is that 
this may represent a hybrid between an American Black Duck and a Mallard. 
However, I also wonder if this may represent an alternate plumage for an 
American Black Duck, since the male mallards are looking much like the 
females at this time. Any thoughts would be welcome.
    This issue made me consider another question that I do not believe I have 
seen discussed. If someone sees a hybrid bird and is keeping a list either 
personally or as part of a count, does a hybrid bird count as a separate bird 
or does it get lumped in with the more abundant of its parent species or the 
less abundant of its parent species? Thanks.

Steve Tracy
Gastonia, NC
stevepath1@aol.com