Hi, I have had this pair of ducks swimming in my pool a lot recently (in Adelaide) and was curious about what type of duck they are. The dark one looks exactly like the Pacific Black Duck as far as I can tell but I am not sure about the lighter one, it looks the same except for being much paler in colour. It is really pretty, and I was also wondering if I could tell which of them is a boy/girl?
Thanks in advance :)
Kittie, I'm no expert on Pacific Black Ducks but if my life depended on it I'd guess that they're both Pacific Black Duck - Mallard hybrids. This is based on the paler coloration & the vague facial stripes. There are a lot of these hybrids in the Adelaide area.
As for distinguishing between female & male Pacific Black Ducks my field guide (Menkhorst et al The Australian Bird Guide) tells me the adult female has a dark brown crown while the adult male has a black crown. And, for your information (& mine) juveniles have a streaked breast while adults have a scalloped breast.
Thanks so much, Woko!
How cool to have them in your pool :-)