Anyone have any photo's of albino ducks?

[RandyMN]

Just curious since I think I have one living about a half mile up the road.

I may take a walk with the camera this weekend and see what one looks like. If you have a photo can you post it?

Thanks

[RandyMN]

Alright, since no one had any photo's to show me I had to go up and take a look myself.

[RandyMN]

I think this one turned out to be my favorite.

[alohabob]

Albino?? It's white, but what makes it an albino. Looks like lots of white ducks I've seen
(btw I like #2!) (is this a joke I'm not getting?)

[RandyMN]

Albino?? It's white, but what makes it an albino. Looks like lots of white ducks I've seen
(btw I like #2!) (is this a joke I'm not getting?)

This is no joke from what I have been told by some duck hunters. It is a genuine albino mallard. Not sure what the white ducks you see are, but post a picture if you think I'm mistaken.

Maybe a shot of the pair will set these apart from the white ducks you see.

[alohabob]

Well the ones I know are domestic and 'park' types. If that's a mallard it's a great find! I would tend to believe the local hunters. And there she is cruising with a mallard... Get some more shots and post on the bird forum, I'm sure folks would love to see them!

[canonloader]

Albinism almost always comes with the red eye. In a bird, the white feathers are most likely a form of Leukism instead. Leukism is a reduction of all coloring in the skin or feathers, instead of just the melanin as seen in an albino. It's harmless and does not always happen to the whole surface of the animal. If this were a true albino, even the beak would be white.

I have a family of Hummers who's females have a pattern of white feathers on the head mixed in with the green ones. This year, one of the family is here again, and she seems to have more white feathers than any of her previous Aunts and Grandmothers. :)

[BradM]

Well the ones I know are domestic and 'park' types. If that's a mallard it's a great find! I would tend to believe the local hunters. And there she is cruising with a mallard... Get some more shots and post on the bird forum, I'm sure folks would love to see them!

I'm with Mitch, I don't think this duck is an albino which is a specific genetic issue and quite rare where Leucism is more common and is often seen in birds (& other animals) often just in portions of the coloring resulting in a piebald effect in coloration.

And whether this duck is actually leucistic or just a domestic farm duck or farm duck hybrid is tough to say from these images. The fact a Mallard is with it is no evidence at all, Mallards drakes are notorious for breeding with any, and I mean anything they can climb up on.

I think their motto is "if it has a bill, we will come", my best advice don't leave your ball cap lying where a Mallard can find it. ;)

And I want to thank Mitch too for the inspirational words to get me going today: "Thou reeky plume-plucked miscreant", just what I needed to start the morning off right.

[RandyMN]

Leukism and albino are different things but used somewhat interchangably by others as well as myself. Technically it might not be full albino, but it certainly was not as large as the farm duck. I never saw it fly, I heard Peking Duck are too heavy to fly.

We also had a cardinal with Leukism and it was still very interesting and not very common.

I guess I'll have to correct the photo on my web page because now I really don't know for sure what it is.

[canonloader]

"Thou reeky plume-plucked miscreant", just what I needed to start the morning off right.
Nothing like a little Shakespeare with your morning coffee. :mrgreen:

[hairy_moth]

Well the ones I know are domestic and 'park' types. If that's a mallard it's a great find!

It looks just like the the "park ducks" that filled a local park near to where I grew up. But, those ducks were considerably larger than mallards.

[RandyMN]

I did a search and found a hunter that had asked the same question from a duck he had shot.

http://www.newjerseyhunter.com/article34240.htm

Basically what it came down to is that the taxidermist identified it as an albino Mallard. Seems like an old debate gone through many times that will probably nevr be completely agreed upon.

Quoted from site:

I just talked with my taxidermist and he instantly identified it as a white mallard. He has mounted 4 other albino mallards.

Before he even saw the pictures he asked if the duck in question had more of an orange bill and feet than the traditional yellowish color, which is evident in the side by side pics. He also said that albino ducks do not necessarily have red eyes. In these cases it is technically a partial albino that makes normal pigments in parts of their bodies and no pigments in others. He said he did an albino mandarin this year and it had dark eyes too.

He explained that true albinos with red eyes are much more rare because they usually won't live as long. The pigment in the eyes of partial albinos protects their eyes from the sun which gives them better vision and prevents early blindness.

Finally, based on size and it's reported flight ability, he is 100% positive.

[BradM]

While it maybe a albino or leucistic the odds are just as great if not more so that it is just a mallard hybrid. As I mentioned these guys will breed with just about anything and in many cases result in viable young.

From farm (Pekin aka Peking) ducks to Black to Shovelors to Pintail, Teal and more, mallard hybridizations are very common. Go to google images and just try mallard hybrids and see the combinations that others have come across.

[artyman]

Naah, it's probably a little egret in his casual wear :D