bird sighting

[serenissima]

Another walk around the pond, another notable bird: I just saw a mallard x domesticated duck hybrid. He's considerably bigger and whiter about the torso than the other male mallards, and his head is not as green and shiny. Nevertheless, there was a female mallard next to him. I wonder if that will be a fruitful union.

EDIT: Apparently yes. "A surprising number of hybrid ducks are fertile, indicating that many duck species are closely related.... All domestic ducks, with the exception of the Muscovy (Cairina moschata), are thought to be descended from the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)." So I guess "multiracial" ducks are not uncommon. :)