
During today’s wander, I spotted this duck sitting on a log alongside the River Ely, preening.

I presume it’s a hybrid Mallard of some kind, as Mallards do seem inclined to hybridise with many other types of duck. In this case, I’d guess one parent was a domestic species but it’s impossible to know.

It was certainly a very handsome creature, a beautiful combination of clean crisp white and glossy dark green.

That’s the most gorgeous coat on a bird I have ever seen. I love the marble! What an interesting find.
Thanks, Jess. Very glad you like it too. 🙂
Very interesting. I had always expected to ducks to procreate within their own species, but they don’t do they? At least not always.
No, ducks don’t seem to be too fussy when it comes to procreation, and I’ve now seen quite a lot of different hybrids. It does make for some head-scratching when trying to ID them though. 🙂