My Observation Lists

    Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.
    BIRDS

Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name

    American Coot

    American Crow

    American Goldfinch

    American Kestrel

    American Robin

    American Tree Sparrow

    American White Pelican

    Bald Eagle

    Baltimore Oriole

    Barn Swallow

    Belted Kingfisher

    Black-Capped Chickadee

    Black Vulture*

    Blue Jay

    Blue-Winged Teal

    Bobwhite

    Brown-Headed Cowbird

    Brown Thrasher

    Bufflehead

    Canada Goose

    Canvasback

    Cedar Waxwing

    Chipping Sparrow

    Common Grackle

    Common Goldeneye

    Common Redpoll

    Cooper's Hawk

    Dark-Eyed Junco

    Downy Woodpecker

    Eastern Bluebird

    Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch

    Eastern Kingbird

    Eastern Meadowlark

    Eastern Phoebe

    Eastern Towhee

    Eurasian Coot*

    European Starling

    Fox Sparrow

    Gray Catbird

    Graylag Goose

    Great Blue Heron

    Great Egret

    Hairy Woodpecker

    Harlequin Duck

    Hermit Thrush

    Herring Gull

    Horned Lark

    House Finch

    House Sparrow

    House Wren

    Indigo Bunting

    Killdeer

    Lesser Scaup

    Lincoln's Sparrow

    Mallard (Domestic)

    Mallard (Wild)

    Mourning Dove

    Northern Cardinal

    Northern Flicker

    Northern Rough-Winged Swallow

    Northern Shoveler

    Orange-Crowned Warbler

    Palm Warbler

    Red-Bellied Woodpecker

    Red-Breasted Nuthatch

    Red-Headed Woodpecker

    Red-Tailed Hawk

    Red-Winged Blackbird

    Ring-Billed Gull

    Ring-Necked Duck

    Rock Pigeon

    Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

    Scarlet Tanager

    Solitary Sandpiper

    Song Sparrow

    Spotted Sandpiper

    Swamp Sparrow

    Tufted Titmouse

    Turkey Vulture

    White-Breasted Nuthatch

    White-Crowned Sparrow

    White-Throated Sparrow

    Wild Turkey

    Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

    Yellow-Rumped Warbler

    INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS

Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name

    Ants (Formicidae)

    Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)

    Blow Flies (Calliphoridae)

    Bumble Bees, etc. (Apidae)

    Cellar Spiders (Pholcidae)

    Centipedes, House (Scutigeridae)

    Cicadas (Cicadidae)

    Crane Flies (Tipulidae)

    Fireflies (Lampyridae)

    Flower Flies - See Syrphid Flies

    Funnel-Web Spiders (Agelenidae)

    Honey Bees - See Bumble Bees, etc.

    Hornets - See Yellowjackets, etc.

    Hover Flies - See Syrphid Flies

    Ichneumon Wasps (Ichneumonidae)

    Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)

    Katydids (Tettigoniidae)

    Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae)

    Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae)

    Leaffooted Bugs (Coreidae)

    Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae)

    Lightning Bugs - See Fireflies

    Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)

    Mantid Flies (Mantispidae)

    Mantids (Mantidae)

    Minettia Flies (Minettia)

    Narrow-Winged Damselflies (Coenagrionidae)

    New York Weevils (Ithyceridae)

    Orb-Weavers (Araneidae)

    Paper Wasps - See Yellowjackets, etc.

    Picture-Winged Flies (Ulidiidae)

    Plant Bugs (Miridae)

    Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae)

    Scentless Plant Bugs (Rhopalidae)

    Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae)

    Signal Flies (Platystomatidae)

    Soldier Beetles (Cantharidae)

    Spittlebugs (Cercopidae)

    Stink Bugs (Pentatomidae)

    Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

    Sweat Bees (Halictidae)

    Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae)

    Tiger Moths (Arctiidae)

    Yellowjackets, etc. (Vespidae)

    MAMMALS

    American Beaver

    Common Raccoon

    Eastern Chipmunk

    Eastern Cottontail

    Eastern Fox Squirrel

    Eastern Gray Squirrel

    Groundhog - See Woodchuck

    Ground Squirrel - See Eastern Chipmunk

    Striped Skunk

    Virginia Opossum

    White-Tailed Deer

    Woodchuck

    PLANTS

    Brown-Eyed Susan

    Buttonbush

    Clematis

    Crown Vetch

    Dandelion

    Day Lily

    Field Marigold

    Larkspur

    Mountain Blue

    Purple Coneflower

    Rose

    Sedum

    Spider Lily - See Spiderwort

    Spiderwort

    Stinkhorn

    Sweet Alyssum

    Whorled Tickseed

    Wild Pansy

    Yarrow

    REPTILES and AMPHIBIANS

    American Toad

    Common Garter Snake

    Eastern Box Turtle*

    Green Frog

    Long-Tailed Salamander*

    Northern Fence Lizard*

    Painted Turtle

    CRUSTACEANS

    Crayfish

    EVENTS / OTHER

    Events

    Farm Implements

    Landscapes / Rivers

    Miscellaneous

    Planes / Trains / Autos / Boats

    Rainbows / Clouds / Sky Formations

    Signs, Billboards, etc.

    Structures / Buildings

    Sunsets / Sunrises

    Weather

Mallard With a Dark Head
Thursday, March 20, 2008

mallard dark

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos - also known as the Canard colvert (French), maillard (French), ainette (French), enette (French), Wilde Eend (Dutch), Stockente (German), Germano reale (Italian), Anade real (Spanish), Gräsand (Swedish), Kryakva (Russian).

None of the green iridescence we normally expect on a mallard head. Of course, mallard variations are never too surprising as the wild birds often breed with domestic birds.

Related posts:

  1. Domestic Mallard - “Pekin Duck”
  2. Another Domestic Mallard - “Donald Duck”
  3. Mallard, Breeding Pair
  4. Mallard Pair
  5. Dark-Eyed Junco

Posted by: Moe in: Birds, Iowa at 12:01 am

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6 Responses to “Mallard With a Dark Head”
  1. 1
    Travis Says:

    Love the photos on the site. Iowa is so beautiful. I recently started a blog featuring the nature of Iowa. Stop by if you get a chance. I really enjoyed you site. I will be back.

    March 20th, 2008 at 9:59 am
  2. 2
    sandy Says:

    Mallards are a favorite of mine. Great shots.

    sandy

    March 20th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
  3. 3
    The Birdfreak Team Says:

    Mallards are so common, sometimes I forget how beautiful they are!

    Good birding to you!

    I tagged you for a fun Six Word Memoir Meme, I hope you don’t mind!

    (http://birdfreak.com/six-word-bird-conservation-meme

    March 21st, 2008 at 8:10 am
  4. 4
    mon@rch Says:

    The dark head is the new mallard style! It’s going through all the duck salons!

    March 21st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
  5. 5
    Moe Says:

    Thanks for all the comments!

    mon@rch - I should have known this is what all the “cool” ducks are doing! I’m so old I’m not privy to what’s cool with the youngsters anymore!

    Birdfreak - thanks! I’ll get around to it! I promise!

    March 22nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
  6. 6
    Karl C. Says:

    You’ve been tagged to play the Six Word Meme!

    March 22nd, 2008 at 4:29 pm

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