Pure black duckling with female Mallard and ducklings

[Hattier]

Hi everyone! Every year I love watching all the ducks stop by my backyard to eat. This year I’ve come across something I’ve never seen before. It’s a pure black duckling with a female mallard and her traditionally colored ducklings. His bill is black and it appears his legs and feet are black. I’ll attempt to post the two pics I have. They come over at least once a day so I’ll get better ones.

In one picture he’s sitting on the far right. In the other he’s at the top left. You can only see his back. He’s way bigger than any of the others. For the record I’m from southeast Louisiana within a mile of bayous, swamps, marshes and a lake, lol.

 

[SolarDuck]

Hmm, I would guess it is a Cayuga duckling that someone bought from a farm or pet store and then just dumped it off with wild ones.

 

[neo71665]

Hmm, I would guess it is a Cayuga duckling that someone bought from a farm or pet store and then just dumped it off with wild ones.

Or somebody's tame that decided to leave with the wilds

 

[KaleIAm]

Hmm, I would guess it is a Cayuga duckling that someone bought from a farm or pet store and then just dumped it off with wild ones.

Or somebody's tame that decided to leave with the wilds

Do you think the mallard could have mated with a dumped cayuga drake? That's something I'm concerned about when people abandon their domestic ducks. I don't know what a newly hatched mallard/cayuga could possibly look like so it is just a wild guess.

 

[Hattier]

Hmm, I would guess it is a Cayuga duckling that someone bought from a farm or pet store and then just dumped it off with wild ones.

Momma first brought them here about a month and a half ago. They were all so tiny I thought they must’ve hatched together, but I don’t know a lot about this. She started with 7 then 6 and now she has 5. Thanks so much for the responses.

 

[neo71665]

I would think if momma mated with another breed there would be more mixes than just the one. I'm very far from being an expert in duck breeding tho.

 

[Lordofthegreenpeas]

Hmm, I would guess it is a Cayuga duckling that someone bought from a farm or pet store and then just dumped it off with wild ones.

It has mallard spots on the back. It's definitely possible for it to have mated with a domestic or the duckling could be melanistic. We won't be able to tell until it's older.

 

[Stipenvlerk]

It has mallard spots on the back. It's definitely possible for it to have mated with a domestic or the duckling could be melanistic. We won't be able to tell until it's older.

Agree with @Lordofthegreenpeas. Exciting!!

 

[Hattier]

I would think if momma mated with another breed there would be more mixes than just the one. I'm very far from being an expert in duck breeding tho.

It has mallard spots on the back. It's definitely possible for it to have mated with a domestic or the duckling could be melanistic. We won't be able to tell until it's older.

Those pictures I posted were from 4/26. Yesterday, only 4 ducklings showed up without the momma. Today, just the 4 showed up alone again. Thank goodness the two sentries were there. Lol, that’s what my husband and I call these two males who’ve always guarded and protected the female and this group of ducklings. I took more pictures. The black one has developed some blond areas on his wing tips. He’s still huge in size compared to the others. Another has gotten blacker and bigger. Unlike the other who’s bill, legs and feet are black.....his bill is lighter, his legs look lighter, but his feet are black.

 

[Hattier]

Do y’all think these little guys will be okay without their mother? Granted the two males, for whatever reason, protect them every day, I’m still worried for them. The ducklings go back and forth under the fence between my and my neighbor’s house. They also love ducks and look after them. I hope that’s enough. Seeing them huddled on my patio kinda broke my heart.