365 Urban Species. #023: Mallard

[urbpan]

Urban species #023: Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

The mallard is the world's most common duck. Two facts contribute to this, and each fact is hard to extricate completely from the other. The first is that mallards are, among ducks, the least bothered by humans and their industry. They have less aversion to humans than many birds. The second is that mallards have been domesticated world-wide, and in fact, are the primary domestic duck (the other being the much less populous muscovy duck) found on farms everywhere. Whether city ducks are wild ducks that have taken advantage of human handouts or are descendants of domestic ducks is a difficult question. The answer is, most likely: both.

Many urban mallard flocks show evidence of domestic stock ancestry: any variation from the wild coloration is a hint that domestic ducks escaped or (more likely) were released. Mallard plumage shows the sexual dimorphism (difference between the sexes) typical of many birds: showy males, in this case with brilliant metallic green heads, and cryptic females, all the better for camouflage when incubating the nest. Unlike many other birds, mallard females have louder voices than males. The harsh loud "quack" of the female mallard is probably the single most imitated bird call in the world.

Comments

[turil.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now...

Do you know of any sources of plastic toy animals that include urban wildlife? I'm talking about the small (2-7 inch tall) plastic animals that are very realistic, mammals and birds mosly (we already have lots of bugs, and a few amphibians). It's hard enough to find anything that's not exotic, i.e. jungle or African safari type animals. I'm trying to make a toy bin with "New England Animals" for my classroom. So far, I've managed to get a fox, moose, and hare from one toy store in Inman Square. And I found a package of musk animals at American Science and Surplus that included a skunk and muskrat (and a meercat, too, which I know is not local, but is damn cute!). So my collection is slowly growing, but I'd love to get a pigeon, duck, goose, squirrel, bluejay, etc.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

We have some of these at the Audubon shop--I'll check which.

At flyrabbit we ordered from a company called Safari Limited. They have a mallard, but mostly they have endangered species, bugs and reptiles.

I got a pigeon on eBay, but he's wearing sunglasses. He's part of the homies collection.

[suburbangothic.livejournal.com]

Do you think the mallard quacks more harshly than the domestic white duck? The white ones always seem the loudest. I suspect the white and the mallards interbreed as we have some odd looking dilutes and hybrids around here.
Not an attack story, but a dog related death:
http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/ap/0106/2004_falling+_dog_kills_man.html

[suburbangothic.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the Homies that are dog fighting? I asked the manager at Kroger to remove the display as the act is illegal (and in poor taste) and he told me he'd contact the vendor. They're still there.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I couldn't find the dogfighting Homies on the website. In 2004 I got the hood hounds for my stepdaughter's birthday, and some of them are straining at their leashes, but they don't seem to be fighting.

[suburbangothic.livejournal.com]

There are two male figures bent over, holding straining pit bulls by the collar, and they aren't about to play a round of flyball. I'll take a pic when I go by the store. They aren't listed on the site, probably for a reason.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

Is it like a scene on a base, or are the elements sold separately?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Domestics may well be louder--I'm not sure--but what I meant to emphasize what that the species Anas platyrhynchos is the most imitated bird species; although Gallus gallus probably has a claim to that, too.

How can a dog "fall off" an overpass? Are there no railings?