BIRDS OF NANTUCKET
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw
DEEP PURPLE - OR IS IT GREEN?

Mallards

Afew weeks ago our Sunday morning birders were staring intently through binoculars at this week's bird and an argument broke out. "Look at the purple head on that duck!" "No you are wrong. The head is green." "Purple." "GREEN!" Before fisticuffs broke out, a birding sage observed, "You are all correct. Just depends from where you are looking."

Our bird this week is probably the best known of all the world's ducks. It could very well be the most abundant duck in the world. We call them Mallards, Anas platyrynchos, the flatbilled duck. Interestingly the name 'Mallard' goes back through old French, to Latin, to a word meaning simply 'male.' But the 'ard' suffix adds a negative cast to things with words like drunkard and dullard. So the indication is that these are bad males. More on that later.

Perhaps bad but very handsome! Most anyone can describe a Mallard, yellow bill, the bottle green head, white ring around the neck, the brassy chest, soft gray body with some black frilly feathers at the tail end. This is the drake. Hen Mallards are BBJs - Big Brown Jobs. They have orange bills with a brown saddle across them. This helps in distinguishing them from the very similar American Black Duck. This works for bird watchers most of the time. But drake Mallards are easily confused and the burgeoning Mallard populations are actually swamping out their close relatives by hybridizing with them.

Why are there so many Mallards when that didn't used to be the case? When I was learning my birds on Nantucket in the 50s we seldom saw Mallards. Although the species is native across Europe and Asia, in North America it was concentrated in the Prairie regions. Our Christmas Bird Count data reflects this situation. Mallards were quite rare until 1968. Then small numbers showed up regularly. In the early 80s they became hundreds and have continued that way ever since with a peak count of 1063 in 1997.

One of the causes for the increase is that people started raising them on the island. Seems you could actually order them from Sears and Roebuck (the chicks). Many captive flocks were started here and have spread. So not all Mallards migrate. In addition, people just feed them. A big flock hangs out at Consue Springs and flies back and forth to several other sites on the island where there are serious duck lovers.

Interestingly if you visit Consue, you may see some 'odd ducks' hanging out there - the feathered kind that is. They are larger than Mallards and have big white patches. Some look like bleached out Mallards. Turns out these are still Mallards.

Humans have worked with Mallards just like they have with domestic dogs. From Chihuahuas to Irish Wolfhounds, our dogs are all the same genus and species, Canis familiaris. It's only through selective breeding that all these varieties occur. Except for Muscovies, all the domestic ducks in the world are descended from the good old Mallard. Many of them are pure white and flightless, known as Pekin Ducks, the ones that 'Donald' was modeled after. So these odd ducks at Consue are just crosses between Pekin Ducks (sneakin' Pekins) and regular Mallards.

The true wild Mallard populations migrate, heading to the southern U.S. and beyond in the winter and nesting up in to northern Canada and Alaska in the summer. Here's where the 'ard' suffix becomes appropriate. Our drake Mallards are only the roughest of suitors and once the eggs are laid, they say "Good-bye" to their mates and go off and just molt all their flight feathers and hang out with the guys. They go through a full flightless month where they develop what is known as 'eclipse' plumage, blending in with the swampy background.

Mrs. Mallard spends four weeks hatching her ten eggs and assumes all parental duties. Many times the nest is well away from water. In Monomoy (but not close to the water) we often find Mallards walking around in late April and May and know there must be a nest nearby. The eggs all hatch at once and as soon as the chicks' down is dry, Mom leads them off on foot to the nearest water. I'm sure many of you have stopped your car on the road to let such a parade pass. Robert McCloskey's "Make Way for the Ducklings" tells just such a tale happening in downtown Boston. The eight ducklings in that book were "Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack!"

You'd think that once the water is reached all would be well, but there is still a four week gauntlet to run where snapping turtles or pickerel are all too anxious to snack on duckling. So a hen Mallard's life is not an easy one.

But - purple, green? It all goes back to the interesting quality of iridescence. Depending on the way light strikes a Mallard's head, you may see brilliant green or glossy purple. On a cloudy day the head may simply appear black. Enjoy them for what they are, and what humans have

made them. I

George C. West creates illustrations for these articles. If you enjoy 'social' birding, join the Nantucket Bird Club at 8 a.m. Sundays in front of Nantucket High School for a two to three hour birding trip. Call 228- 1693 for more information. To hear about rare birds, or to leave a bird report call the Massachusetts Audubon hot line at 1-781-259-8805. Ask Ken a question at: kenandcindy1@comcast.net