I Think I Shot a Hermaphrodite Duck......

[krazee4h2ofowlin]

Okay whats up, how come I keep getting all the oddballs in my spread?Whats going on with this mallard, I took it back in November, just a late plumage change or did I get a "tranny" duck?:rolleyes:
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii256/fgood/2008huntingpics01009.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii256/fgood/2008huntingpics01008.jpg
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii256/fgood/2008huntingpics01007.jpg

[Ridge Nelson]

No idea on what the deal is with the duck... are you getting it mounted?

[JD Ourada]

Wow, very unique looking bird!

[krazee4h2ofowlin]

No I guess in hindsite I should have had it mounted but I cleaned it and ate it. lol:p

[rw3fan]

That may be cross bred with a black duck more than anything else. Very interesting though

[Ben G Peterson]

i'm pretty sure it is just a unlucky drake that decided to plume so alte that it couldn't finish.

Shot a few like that last year in december.

[lizard55033]

stop hunting by those Nuclear plants:p

[nthatlhonk]

Looks to me like that drake has some domesticated duck genes..

[David Onyshko]

I never seen one like that.

[Trey Peterson]

i'm pretty sure it is just a unlucky drake that decided to plume so alte that it couldn't finish.

Shot a few like that last year in december.

I'm gonna agree with Ben on this one. I think it's just a drake that hasn't plumaged all the way out.

[WINGWACKER]

I shot one just like it. Mine had full plumage of a drake on
head, wings, and tail feathers. I was told it is a old hen with
extra testosterone. Kinda like a bearded women

[Snowgooseman__SD]

WING WACKER hahahahahhahahahhhaha
my say is its a drake that hasnt fully matured...........if its a women that is one old girl

[Nick Michael]

Either a drake that hasnt matured or has a tad bit of black duck

[ScarySouthernMan]

That is NOT a Black/Mallard Hybrid... Nor is it a "late bloomer".

C'mon guys, do your homework.



The gentleman was correct in the title of the post. It literally is a Mallard duck (100% pure) that has a drastic hormone imbalance and may well likely be a hermaphrodite. I've killed two myself an have the more dramatic example mounted.

There are ways to tell. First, a Black Hybrid does NOT have tawny tannish colorations on the belly... Ever.

Secondly, being a drake, A Blackie cross will always consistently develop a solid yellow bill shortly after it's old enough to fly, round about the same time a typical drake mallard's bill does. Hermaphrodites often have the wrong gender's bill or an odd trace thereof.

Although farm duck hybrids are increasingly common, it is not usual that the mutations cause signs of the opposite gender. One dead give away of farmie bloodlines in a wild duck is that (for some reason or another) the white ring around the drake's neck is either absent or way larger than normal. Also, the physical size of the bird is typically larger (although not always) because farm ducks are naturally bred for size and weight. Another typical sign is splotches of white in areas they shouldn't otherwise be. This is a natural happenstance when farm ducks and wild mallards cross... again, depending on the domestic parent, this isn't always the case but IS very common. Sometimes in a hen duc, the splotching on the bill will be absent, this is confusing because often, in an actual hermaphrodite's case, the same thing occurs or is in an intergradient stage of both.

Also, it is seldom if ever the case that a domestic cross breed produces a mottled pattern on an obviously drake bird. Actually, the opposite happens, most of the clear and cut coloration seperations (for example the edge of a drake Mallard's maroon breast and grey belly) become blurred or faded.

There are two kinds of these oddities. One is actually predominantly male, and the other predominantly female, both showing heavy evidence of the other gender. This one is predominantly male... The ol' boy just has a little sugar in his tank, that's all.


I'll see if I can find the dead pics of mine.


Hope that helps, that is a VERY rare bird...


- Scary

[ScarySouthernMan]

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4945/picture592iu5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/picture592iu5.jpg/1/w800.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img229/picture592iu5.jpg/1/)










Not a very good picture but note that the entire bird is "hennish" and NOT eclipse drake (there's a difference, look it up). The almost entirely green head an curly black tailfeathers (unfortunately not seen here) are a dead ringer for cross-gender...

Also, when I shot this bird, it was quacking like a hen.


You tell me.

[Wyogoose]

Pretty sure its a drake with to much testostrone (the bearded lady theory!!) I love that. Anyway I killed one like that this year and the biologist told me thats what it was. Neat looking birds though unfortunatly I ate mine too!

[chase_n_green]

No clue but a cool looking bird, you sould have got him/her or it on the wall\

[ARKfowlmouth]

That DUCK is mess up!!!

[duckslayer7]

That is close but i think that it is just a hybrid i saw my grandfather shoot an entirely hen body with just the green head and yellow bill.

[duckin82]

im gonna agree with scarysouthernman here, just the old grandma duck goin through duckopause:D

[groundsman3]

that or an old hen

[Mike Bard]

I shot one just like it. Mine had full plumage of a drake on
head, wings, and tail feathers. I was told it is a old hen with
extra testosterone. Kinda like a bearded women

I agree with Matt here... most likely an old hen that is no longer breeding.

[mdloban]

I am going to say a young drake. The easiest way to check would have been physically checking to see if the bird had male or female reproductive organs.


It has too much drake to be an old hen. The ones I have seen were spotty green heads much like the one that was posted on page 2.

[Teal 101]

I am going to say a young drake. The easiest way to check would have been physically checking to see if the bird had male or female reproductive organs.


It has too much drake to be an old hen. The ones I have seen were spotty green heads much like the one that was posted on page 2.

Its patterning doesn't resemble and eclipsed drake other than the fact that it has a mottled plumage. The colors are wrong.

[Ganderhunter]

What I want to no is how often are you shaving now you eat that bird
Is the bearded lady thing working out for ya? :cool:

[DrewR]

That's a cool looking duck!

[Chaz Lyle]

That is close but i think that it is just a hybrid i saw my grandfather shoot an entirely hen body with just the green head and yellow bill.


Therefore that would not be a hybrid. It would be due to a hormone imbalance.

[Allen Riggs]

Leave him alone now! He's just a drake living in a hen's body. You guy's are so insensitive.

[The Waterfowler]

It is a Mallard 100% but with xxy chromosomes which gives it both male and female characteristics. An aged, post-breeding hen will retain the hen bill, i.e. orange w/black saddle. They are usually very pin-feathered no matter what time of year you kill them. They usually are almost devoid of body fat also.

[duckslayer7]

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss213/duckslayer7/hendrake003.jpg

[Paul MacKinnon]

Definitely not a Black and lots on mallard estrogen!

[Hunter Lewis]

I'm gonna have to say something was obviously wrong with the duck. maybe something about its feather growth that those feathers never plume. Very interesting. i woulda had it mounted.

[Adam Wegner]

they put two bands on that duck???? or did you just do it haha

[duckslayer7]

Those bands are from a different duck that is in the taxidermist shop. And he told me to keep them.

[Andy Weber]

[QUOTE=lizard55033;442499]stop hunting by those Nuclear plants:p[/

Gosh dang it i thought we told you to stop hunting in the nucleur REACTORS

you said you ATE it right HAHAH