Wild black ducks???

[Wolfefarmyard]

Hello!
I went to a local park pond and noticed some small black ducks, some with white chests mixed in with the wild mallards. They reminded me of black Swedish ducks but smaller.
My question is are these actually wild, domestic, or mixed with domestic?
Thanks!

 

[Willow2253]

They’re probably wild mixed with domestic ducks. My local park has a lot like that. They’re pretty comfortable around people, but definitely raised in the wild. I also have a pair of feral muscovies at my park.

 

[Isaac 0]

I agree, most likely domestic. They are gorgeous!

 

[TomCahalan]

It only takes one dominant allele to turn a mallard into a black bibbed duck, so that coloration doesn't mean much. Just based on the color, you could be looking at anything from 100% domestic to 99.9% wild. Go by the body shape instead. The ones in the water are shaped very much like wild mallards, while those on land have a shape that looks very much like domestic ducks.

I would guess that someone dumped a few ducks a year or two ago, and that these are the hybrids, ranging from 50-75% wild ancestry.