What a beautiful family! I wonder how that yellow duckling even happened. Is a parent a mix? Did they steal or accept an extra egg? Did the duckling find them? What a mystery.
Yellow duckling is likely a Pekin duck (they grow into larger flightless white ducks, think the duck from the Aflack commercials).
Lots of possibilities, but good chance that a pekin was abandoned or escaped and was there and laid an egg. There's a park I go to that has Mallards, and both have happened (an escaped domestic duck wound up there that was later recovered, and also people have dumped off domestic ducks (I'm assuming). So occasionally you'll see a random white duck with all of the Mallards.
Yeah, I was researching them because I was curious. The no flight thing is a potential issue if there are predators (which luckily wasn't the case at the park they were at). Also since they're larger they apparently can do better in the cold...they seemed to be fine through the winter...but now they're not around anymore (no idea if they moved downstream, if someone picked them up, if something happened to htem, etc).
Looks like she stole a pekin egg or a pekin laid an egg in her nest.
I'm extremely sleep deprived and I totally thought you posted this image bc the ducks have made a heart shape
What a beautiful family! I wonder how that yellow duckling even happened. Is a parent a mix? Did they steal or accept an extra egg? Did the duckling find them? What a mystery.
Mystery indeed! But glad that they cared for it anyhow, it followed them around and stuck with them so that’s good!
Yellow duckling is likely a Pekin duck (they grow into larger flightless white ducks, think the duck from the Aflack commercials). Lots of possibilities, but good chance that a pekin was abandoned or escaped and was there and laid an egg. There's a park I go to that has Mallards, and both have happened (an escaped domestic duck wound up there that was later recovered, and also people have dumped off domestic ducks (I'm assuming). So occasionally you'll see a random white duck with all of the Mallards.
Ohhh thanks for that new info! Kinda sad they can’t fly, would suck to be in the cold places (just learned about the Pekin) so hopefully it lives well
Yeah, I was researching them because I was curious. The no flight thing is a potential issue if there are predators (which luckily wasn't the case at the park they were at). Also since they're larger they apparently can do better in the cold...they seemed to be fine through the winter...but now they're not around anymore (no idea if they moved downstream, if someone picked them up, if something happened to htem, etc).