Bird Pictures: New Hybrid Ducklings: Aylesbury, Blue Swedish and Mallard Ducks

Birding and bird photography is not an exact science: none of the birds have read the expert's books so surprises and mysteries are not uncommon. This photo journal documents, with original duck pictures, just one such mystery.

Early this year, while birdwatching along Bingley Canal, I spotted a poor female mallard duck being mated by first a big white Aylesbury Duck and then by a dark Blue Swedish Duck. Several weeks later a brood of six youngsters appeared. Four are white Aylesbury ducks, one is a Splodged Blue Swedish Duck and the last has mallard colouring but is much bigger than the normal mallard duck and it has an upturning tail like the Aylesbury Ducks.

The question is - are these the result of that mating? There was no female with the ducklings which would have answered the question. The ducklings were about 5-6 weeks old by the time I saw them first. However, the colouring of the darkest duckling strongly suggested that was the case and I understand that a duck's eggs can be fertilized by different males so it could be possible, which would answer the question of why some of the brood are of Aylesbury ancestry and some are of Swedish ducks descent.

On Bingley canal we have a resident group of two Aylesbury Ducks and Three Blue Swedish Ducks that had been released from a domestic poultry keeper. One of the dark Swedish Blues has been absent for a long time. It only reappeared this week, with 4 tiny ducklings of her own.

So we have another possible answer to the parentry of the ducklings pictured here. It may be possible that this Blue Swedish Duck laid and hatched these as a first brood. Like other ducks, if she had been mated after hatching her first brood, she may have laid a second clutch. If so, she would have had to leave the first ducklings to their own devices while she sat on the second lot of eggs.

The timings would fit with that scenario. If it wasn't for that single, beautiful, dark duckling with mallard markings this would be my guess. What do you think? You chance to answer that is in the poll below.

Thanks to everyone for their interest and kind comments. Can I ask you NOT to pin this page or any of the photographs please. All images are copyrighted to me and there are serious implications regarding copyright and Pinterest - if you read their terms and conditions they say they are permitted to sell images that appear there - I need to hold onto my copyright.

many thanks for your understanding.