A practical guide to bird watching in Sonoma County, California
(Unless otherwise indicated, all phone numbers are in the 707 area code)
A gallery of strange Mallards and other ducks
The Mallard, like many other ducks, has a propensity to promiscuity. Many Mallards hang around human habitations and populations of barnyard ducks, resulting in a range of mixes. Below is a small gallery of some of the prettier ones I've encountered in Sonoma County. Some of the unusual ducks we occasionally see in the county are not mixes but fancy domesticated breeds that have escaped captivity and taken up permanent residence. Occasionally oddballs are genuine hybrids between wild species, such as the Mallard x Wood Duck pictured on this page.
© Colin Talcroft, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Unless noted, all photos by the author. If you would like to use one of my images, please ask for permission for non-commercial use with proper credit or commercial use with proper compensation.
Roberts Lake, Santa Rosa, December 12, 2011. Not sure what this one is....
Lucchesi Park, Petaluma, December 12, 2011
Roberts Lake, Santa Rosa, December 12, 2011
Mallard x Wood Duck, Lucchesi Park, December 12, 2011
Possible cross between a Mallard and a White-bibbed Call Duck
Lake Ralphine, Santa Rosa, December 14, 2011
Lucchesi Park, Petaluma, January 12, 2012
Mallard with brown head, Spring Lake, Santa Rosa, October 27, 2011
Lake Ralphine, Santa Rosa, December 22, 2011
Lucchesi Park, Petaluma, February 12, 2013
White-bibbed Call Duck/Mallard mix in eclipse plumage?
Probably an “East India Black” Call Duck, Lake Ralphine, Santa Rosa, October 29, 2013
Roberts Lake, Santa Rosa, January 5, 2014