Rare duck to this area?
 

How often do y'all kill black mallards? Black duck is also a common name. For em?Attachment 78643


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Black duck is the name for them. The "common" name for the Black Duck area Louisiana is black mallard for most people in Louisiana. Although so many people call Mottled Ducks black mallards also and can't really tell the difference between the two.

Not often at all. I rarely kill them in arkansas or here pretty birds though

More of an Atlantic flyway bird. Harvest estimates for last year show less than 1,000 killed in LA. I think they are more common on the east side.

Noir Canard
 

Redspeck you must have spent some time in Gayle Hall.

What he said, most people don't realize theres a migratory "Black Mallard", and a stay at home Mottled Duck. They look very similar.

Good Luck

I killed a hen this morning!!!! First ever in life!


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Yea I spent a day or two in that Hall.

Attachment 78664


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The drake looked like the original posted pic too. He shot out before she committed... Was close enough to see we him the way the sun projected the light on him though


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Can you show a wing picture?

I am not real sure that is a 'black' duck. It happens, but they are rare down south. That's not the greatest picture for ID, but imo it looks like too much light brown trim around some of the feathers at the base of neck area. Here are real comparison pictures of a 'mottle' and a 'black' that I just took of the same exact areas. I killed a black duck in New Jersey years ago and have it mounted side by side with a mottle. The biggest difference in the two is the mottle has very noticeable and pronounced light brown edging on every feather. The black only has a very thin trim of light color edging and it is a very fine line. It is kind of like God used a marks-a-lot to color the mottle duck feather trim and a fine print pen to color the black duck feather edges. It really shows on the first 2 pictures of the tails. I am not positive if the next two are an illusion created by the outline on each feather, but either way you can it use to tell a significant difference in the two. The feathers on the black duck almost seem to be slightly smaller than the mottle. It's like the light brown color on the mottle is a growth extension on the dark brown portion of each feather making the feather larger or at least seem larger. It is very hard to see in the picture. It also gives the look of the mottle duck feathers being more pointed and the black duck feathers being more round except in the tail area where the opposite looks to be true. You can really notice in the 2nd set of pictures of the back/wing base area. The last set of pictures of the wing tips is not a great one because they are mounted standing up and the way the wings are tucked it is tough to get a great picture of the color spectrum, but you can tell the black duck has black trim at the base of blue.

It's in freezer. I've killed a good bit of mottles and none looked like this. The two I showed it to in person that has seen one in person which have been duck hunting for 30+ years said it's definAtely a black. That's all I really need to know. I'll see if I can unwrap it and get a better wing pic


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Here is a picture of their whole back area. They key is don't get caught up in looking at the 'color' of the bird, but look at the individual feathers. I am by no means saying it is not a black duck, but giving you a real life comparison of two I have sitting behind me right now so that you yourself can know for sure and see the difference. Plus it is cool to be able to point out the difference after you get it back from a taxidermist.

Thx for that. Def a black


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I thought I had killed one this morning. The white tips of the wing feather are barely noticable.

Black/Old Squaw mix. Check wit your taxidermist.

Let me know what you come up with on identity duckstricter


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The one I killed is 100% mottled

I think any white at the bottom edge of the wing feathers would lend itself to being a Mottled duck. I'm far from an expert but black ducks are a rarity here in south LA