Mallard drakes - Don Giovannis?

[Endrick]

I never thought about it before joining this site but it seems to me looking at the number of posts about mallard hybrids that the mallard drake is quite a lad.

I can't think of another species that routinely has offspring - not only of it's own kind but crossing with others. Presumably with other ducks that are genetically very close if not derived from mallards.

Malcolm

[aeshna5]

Strictly a lot of the birds you mention- the crosses with domestic birds (not including Muscovy which is a totally different species)- aren't hybrids as no other species are involved.

That said there are crosses with Mallard with a large number of other species of duck- not just interspecific hybrids, but intergeneric hybrids too. I'm sure I've read of hybrids with geese + other birds too, but these must be exceptional + have never encountered them.

Man's meddling ( by introducing species to parts of the world where they don't naturally occur) combined with the Mallard's promiscuity has caused real ecological problems. For instance hybridising (hybrids are fertile) with Yellowbill + African Black Duck in South Africa, crossing with Pacific Black Duck in parts of Australia + New Zealand + threatens the survival of the Hawaiin Duck.

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by Endrick

II can't think of another species that routinely has offspring - not only of it's own kind but crossing with others. Presumably with other ducks that are genetically very close if not derived from mallards.

It's not just Mallards that hybridise with numerous other species in this way, it's actually known to occur in numerous different species of wildfowl, with Mallards probably only featuring as often as they do because they have been domesticated and transported around the world. Many other hybrids occur in collections, or where captive wildfowl have escaped and are living in the wild, but some apparently wild hybrids are recorded.
It is actually probably more difficult to name a duck or goose species that has not been recorded hybridising with other wildfowl!

Many other hybrids do occur in the wild, and others are frequent in captivity (such as the crosses between different finch species that are 'produced' by cage bird enthusiasts).

[Tom C L]

'Quite a lad' indeed but it's not only mallards, several other ducks (sorry, drakes) as well will 'have a go' at almost any other. With domestics, we once had a Khaki Campbell drake that 'molested' a gosling, that was still slightly smaller, until it drowned it.