Mallard duck?

Question

Saw the duck on the top right of the picture running along with some mallard ducks, but his colours seem to be different from both the males and the females. Just wondering if it's really a mallard duck?

Germain · Accepted Answer

The short answer is yes, it's mainly Mallard. They are quite often known as Manky Mallards. Mallards can be quite promiscuous and variations on a theme will pop up in most groups. Quite often a farm escapee/domestic fowl will join the local flock (either an escapee or dumped) and the oddly coloured offspring are the result. The best indicators apart from head colour are the curly tail feathers - that give a strong clue to Mallard origins