Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur

Mallard Duck domestic variant Anas platyrhynchos

© J. Simón Tagtachian
Photographed during the Birding Challenge on February 21st. In the photos it appears with a Rosy-billed Pochard and a difference in size is appreciated.
According to Marcelo Bettinelli this individual is a female of a domestic variant of the Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos for the form of the head. We do not know where is comes from, nor why or what for it was brought, let alone how it became free. It is on her own and can not be related to a population. The Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos is native to the Northern Hemisphere. It has the capapcity to hibridize with other Anas and other genera having fertile offspring. When it is introduced in out-of-its-distribution places this capacity may contaminate the genetic pool of the local population. Man has domesticated this species creating breeds through selective breeding. The objective is to fix a desired characteristic. Individuals with this characteristic are selected and new communities are formed. Since they belong to the same species they are not hybrids. But man can create hybrids also in an artificial way.

© Diego Carús
The Pekin duck, which is together with the Anas, also descends from Anas platyrhynchos and it is one of the breeds resulting from selective breeding for its meat. Now that they are free cohabiting in the reserve. What will it happen?

Details of bill and legs
27-3-15 © Gustavo F. Brahamian	27-3-15 © Gustavo F. Brahamian

Breeding
© Nicolás Giorgio © Nicolás Giorgio © Nicolás Giorgio © Nicolás Giorgio © Nicolás Giorgio In Atypical Ducks and in Pekin Duck some commentaries are made on their characteristics and history of these domestic ducks. We know they come from the same species Anas platyrhynchos and that they are the result of domestication by man. For this reason they are not included in field guides and are not well appreciated in reserves. This Pekin male had already mated with its pair in January 2015. They were not lucky since all eggs disappeared. Further attempts to breed were not detected till Nicolás registered this event with a change of actors on Tuesday 18th. He tells us that the mallar duck and the pekin duck were navigating in the pond and the other pekin duck was a bit far away. Within a fraction of a second the mating scene begins. The female shows receptive, the male mounts her, grasps her by the neck with the bill and after mating, the triumphal clousure. ¿What will result of this union if it thrives? We will be attentive.

Breeding

© Nicolás Giorgio
In Atypical Ducks and in Pekin Duck some commentaries are made on their characteristics and history of these domestic ducks.
We know they come from the same species Anas platyrhynchos and that they are the result of domestication by man. For this reason they are not included in field guides and are not well appreciated in reserves. This Pekin male had already mated with its pair in January 2015. They were not lucky since all eggs disappeared. Further attempts to breed were not detected till Nicolás registered this event with a change of actors on Tuesday 18th. He tells us that the mallar duck and the pekin duck were navigating in the pond and the other pekin duck was a bit far away. Within a fraction of a second the mating scene begins. The female shows receptive, the male mounts her, grasps her by the neck with the bill and after mating, the triumphal clousure. ¿What will result of this union if it thrives? We will be attentive.

Individuals in ancestral plumage
© Sergio Cusano from ∼ 21-2-15 to ∼ 19-3-16	© Silvia González from ∼ 24-10-15 to
© Sergio Cusano from ∼ 24-10-15 to ∼ 1-11-15	© J. Simón Tagtachian 9-1-16