I.D. help, Columbus Ohio. Waterfowl questions (1 Viewer)

[teach38]

This picture was taken in Columbus, Ohio, in a local pond. I believe these three to be Mallards, but there could be a little bit of hybridization going on and I'd like some feedback on their identification.
the bird in the back left seems to me to have more Black Duck (female) characteristics than Mallard (female) and I know they can hang out together. The one in the front left seems to be more Mallard than Black. The bird on the right is the main, original reason for my picture (and this post)... it is an anomaly I've seen 2 years in a row now (probably the same bird).
thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Corvus cornix]

The bird on the right is a domestic type mallard. The one on the left appears to be a male mallard in eclipse plumage.

Cheers

 

[stevethehydra]

All Mallards for me - a wild-type eclipse male (back), a wild-type female (front), and a domestic-influenced colour morph at right - which is harder to sex, but I would guess female as it looks very like the females of a morph I commonly see in the UK (the males of which have the same white bib but a green head, yellow bill and usually brownish body - though I don't know whether and how that morph changes in eclipse!)

Your eclipse male does look a bit dark, but in my experience eclipse male Mallards vary quite a bit in how "female-like" their plumage gets, and this one is in the middle of the spectrum (they always retain the yellow bill though). It would be easier to rule out Black Duck influence in breeding plumage, but there's nothing here to rule out "pure" Mallard IMO.

 

[teach38]

thanks to both of you!