Domestic or hybrid mallards? England 25/2 (1 Viewer)

[iefe]

Video

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. I hope you enjoy your visits.

 

[nartreb]

They look almost entirely normal (wild-type) to me. The male is in partial eclipse plumage, which explains why his head is not fully green (and also the lack of a white collar at the neck). The only odd thing I noticed about the male is that his breast is possibly a bit paler than usual, even for a duck in non-breeding plumage. That might be explained by some domestic ancestry.
Also, the female's bill is darker than is usual, though it still shows the expected orange-black-orange saddle pattern if you look closely. Again, maybe something to do with domestic ancestry, or maybe not.

 

[iefe]

They look almost entirely normal (wild-type) to me. The male is in partial eclipse plumage, which explains why his head is not fully green (and also the lack of a white collar at the neck). The only odd thing I noticed about the male is that his breast is possibly a bit paler than usual, even for a duck in non-breeding plumage. That might be explained by some domestic ancestry.
Also, the female's bill is darker than is usual, though it still shows the expected orange-black-orange saddle pattern if you look closely. Again, maybe something to do with domestic ancestry, or maybe not.

Thanks for the insightful reply. At first I thought they were mallards x shovellers but maybe they're just a funky couple.