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Birding/Duck Identification

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Expert: - 8/7/2009


Question

Black and white duck i
I recently took the attached image of a duck I saw swimming in a pond in the town of Southampton Ontario. The town is located on the shores of Lake Huron. The closest that I have come to an identification is either a magpie, cross breed or a scaber(?). But none of these satisfactorily describe the black and white duck or the females( I am assuming) who are swimming with him. I have also thought that perhaps the duck is a female and the brown ducks are immature.  Can you help?

Answer
Often in habitats like this - town ponds - you see lots of strange ducks. Typically they are some sort of hybrid between a wild mallard and a domestic variety. This one appears to be a cross between a Muscovy Duck and a domestic duck, either a mallard or Muscovy. The females are mallards.
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThank you so much for the response. I posted the picture on my profile and some friends came close to your answer. But now i feel confident in telling people what in fact the duck is. Isn't nature and the internet wonderful, most of the time.


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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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