Cattle Egret, Bulbucus ibis

Friday, May 1, 2009

Meant Well, But With Bad Results

Someone said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
The Mottled Duck, Anas fulvigula, is a cousin of the Mallards, but it is adapted to breeding and living in the Southern saltmarshes and does not migrate. It is hard to say just how many remain, and how many of those are 100% Mottled Duck.
Many tame Mallards have been released, and many people have fed migrating Mallards, resulting in a non migrating population of Mallards. Normally, there would be no Mallards here in breeding season, but now the Mottled Duck is slowly being absorbed.
Who knows if the resulting hybrids will be able to succeed in a saltmarsh environment, only time will tell.
Around the pond at the county health center here you will see some strange looking ducks. They are a blend of Mallard, Peking, and Muscovy. they survive well, as long as someone feeds them, but, I doubt they'd last very long at all in a saltmarsh, fending for themselves.

1 comment:

Bird Advocate said...

I wondered from the pictures whether those might have more than Peking and Mallard breeding in them. I hadn't heard of the Mottled Duck and appreciate the information. Maybe they don't travel to Texas.

The FatBirder's Nest
FatBirder Web Ring
Prev Site Random Site Next Site
Linking Birders Worldwide Join
Nature Blog Network

Hit Counter
Fatbirder's Top 500 Birding Websites

FEEDJIT Live Traffic Map

FriendFeed chiclet

Subscribe to me on FriendFeed
CURRENT MOON

FISH CROW

Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major fem

Wood Stork Mycteria americana

Wood Stork Mycteria americana

RINGED BILL GULL

MALLARD Anas Platyrhynchos

RINGED BILL GULL

MALLARDS and REDEAR SLIDER

Tricolored heron Egretta tricolor

Tricolored heron Egretta tricolor

Tricolored heron Egretta tricolor

UNEXPECTED BYSTANDERS

Brown Pelican chestnut neck

Brown Pelican white neck

Brown Pelican juvenile


What Do You Get?

What Do You Get?
ME

Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura

Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura

PALM WARBLER

SOARING FREE

REFLECTIONS

LITTLE BLUE HERON

REFLECTIONS