My mallard is getting blue-tinted feathers. Is it a boy?

[tazzy]

We have two straight run mallards and one of them is displaying a clear bright blue sheen to the new feathers sprouting on their wings. Does that mean it's a boy? The other mallard has a black hue to the same feathers. Also, the bill on both ducks are different. The possible boy has one sort of a stripe going up the center of his bill, while the possible girl has an allover darker beak with no stripes.

I will take pics later today. But wanted to ask. These ducks are only about six weeks old, so I didn't think that the gender of mallards would be apparent this early.

oh, also, the possible boy mallard is a bit larger than the other mallard.

Does this mean anything? thanks!

 

[ChickBond 007]

My drakes and my hens both have the blue wing stripe.
Listen to them. The noisy ones are hens. The gravel throated ones are drakes.

 

[tazzy]

oh, okay...I guess the smaller one is just behind in developing the blue tint.

I will listen to them. I hear that in my pekin pair - they both quack so they are both apparently females. But I haven't paid much attention to the mallards. I'm not sure if they do quack...maybe they are both males!