03 December 2008

PomPom Mallards




Apparently, there are more than a few of these unusually-coiffed birds around. Over the years, I've photographed two individuals at Marina Park in Kirkland, Washington, never realizing (as they were two-years apart AND i never really checked) I'd photographed two individuals.

For someone as visually-oriented as myself, consider this a wake-up.

Anyway, this morning I'm pawing through a friend's website when I come across a photo that reminds me of my two little darlings, and I thinks to myself, "Hey, Stupid, there are more of these things out there!".

And, so I wander into my archives and lo, one is male, the other is female, separated by two years.

Huh.

Any biologists care to take a potshot into why this particular mutation occurs, and just how prevalent it is?

1 comment:

Rick Wright said...

Read the analysis on your friend's website. This is a quite normal breed of domestic Mallard.