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| American Black Ducks are grey-brown, with a pale head, white wing lining, and dull yellow or green bill. Females are paler and sandier in colour, with mottled orange and black on their bills, and whitish tail feathers. They lay between 9 and 12 greenish-creamy eggs in a ground nest made from feathers and down. Male Mallards have a bold green head, white neck ring, brown chest, and grayish body. The inner wing feathers, or speculum, are metallic purplish blue, bordered in the front and back with white. Females are mottled brown with a white tail and mottled orange and brown bill. They will lay 8 to 10 light green eggs in a down-lined nest, placed far from the water, sometimes in a tree. The Mallard is a strong flier, and known to travel to even the remotest areas, frequently interbreeding with other species. It is the most abundant duck found in the world. Although considerably different in appearance, the American Black Duck and the Mallard are connected through habitat invasion and interbreeding. The Mallard, rarely seen in the Algonquin Highlands area before 1970, is now becoming more common than the Black Duck. It is thought that the Mallard will one day replace them entirely. Interbreeding between the species has resulted in the decline of “pure” Black Ducks, and has produced a variety of patterns and colours. The main difference found is that the male Black Duck generally lacks the colourful plumage of the Mallard. |
Anas rubripes
MALLARD
Anas platyrhynchos
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