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Anas platyrhynchos domesticus
This is an smallish duck (smaller than a mallard, bigger than a Wood Duck) with black feathers that have white spots. Her beak is black. She was seen in the company of some mallards. When I looked through Google images the closet match was an African Black Duck... but she was seen in Chicago, so... probably not that. There are a fair number of Manky (mixed-breed) ducks on this pond, so she may be part coot or part scaup as they occasionally migrate through the area. She looks like she has the coloring of the Muscovy ducks I saw in Tennessee, but a.) I've never seen a Muscovy Duck anywhere in Chicago and b.) she doesn't have any of the red skin around the eye that the Muscovies have.
Pond in Chicago. Seen laying next two two male mallard ducks.
Spotted on Apr 13, 2012
Submitted on Apr 14, 2012
1 Comment
A domestic Mallard variant. Probably an East Indies x Pekin hybrid.