Duck Identification

[Cynthia Higa]

Fostering ducks that were found on Oahu, HI at one of the military bases. The woman brought them to me this morning and I am curious if we can I.D. them. Their probably mutts but they seem friendly and calm. Any ideas? They look to be less than a week old

 

[fatty and friends]

mallard

if you raise them you can’t release them, so unless you are fostering to find them a new home you might want to rehome them

 

[Cynthia Higa]

mallard

if you raise them you can’t release them, so unless you are fostering to find them a new home you might want to rehome them

Thanks so much. I will be keeping them as part of my flock. Funny how things happen when you open your heart to new experiences. Have been looking for a while now.

 

[Isaac 0]

It could potentially be a wild mallard, in which case the release of them into the wild would not be advised under any circumstance. This is advised by the U.S Fish and wildlife services due to the risk feral mallards pose to the native Hawaiian Duck population.

https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/files/2014/01/USGS-Koloa-Factsheet.pdf

Hawaiian Ducks have many of the similarities a Mallard duckling has when young. In the case you have Hawaiian ducklings, this would be in fact illegal to possess them without a permit. I would consider contacting your nearest DNR/ Wildlife sanctuary. Or simply be quiet about the fact you are keeping them.

"Removing the feral Mallard threat in the Hawaiian Islands is recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) draft recovery plan for the Koloa. However, even biologists have trouble distinguishing between Koloa, feral Mallards, and hybrids in the field, because the size and plumage of hybrids can vary greatly. To help with this problem, scientists at the University of California at Davis and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are developing techniques to more accurately differentiate duck types. "

 

[Lilybljm]

Definitely a mallard (or I guess gray calls also look like that, but I can’t imagine how they’d end up there). I highly doubt it’s a Hawaiian because the line on their eye stretches all the way across their head, and Hawaiian ducks usually stop, kind of like winged eyeliner.