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Anas platyrhynchos
An amazing mallard duck mom, with her 16 ducklings, at the Botanic gardens Christchurch NZ :)
Spotted on Oct 28, 2011
Submitted on Oct 7, 2012
7 Comments
Mallards in New Zealand were derived from both European and American stock. In New Zealand they sometimes interbreed with Grey ducks (Anas superciliosa), and hybrids are common. Birds of British game-farm stock were first introduced to New Zealand from Australia in 1867. This is definitely a mallard mom, but I haven't seen the dad, probably a mallard as well...It's not very common to see grey ducks dads with mallard mums, because mallard males are more agressive than grey males, so the interbreed is usually between a mallard male with mallard or grey female...
http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/mallard.htm...
I am assuming that the mallard ducklings have a little more yellow in them?
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/102...
They look more like Pacific Black Ducks to me. They are quite a common species of duck and can be found all over our region??
Oh I adored your pics :)
They are Despina! I'm quite fond of them myself:-)
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/115...
Dear @Daniele, there are many mallard ducks all around Christchurch & Canterbury, but it was the first time for me too, to see such a large duck family :)
That's why I snapped the pics :))
Aren't they adorable???
Lovely series Despina! That's large brood for one mallard!