Cottontop is back!
Lake Murray is about a half mile from where I live, so I’ll often walk or bike over there to enjoy all the wildlife. Yesterday, Cottontop was back! He was posing — Look at me. Now look to the side! — until he got an itch.
Cottontop is the offspring between a wild mallard and a domestic crested duck. The domestic crested duck is all white with a cotton top and is descended from the mallard, making it natural to breed with wild mallards.
The cottontop is a genetic mutation that causes a deformity of the skull. When two crested ducks breed, 25% of the young will not have a cotton top, 50% will have cotton tops of various sizes, and 25% will die without hatching due to an exposed brain.
I first saw Cottontop back in February or March but had not seen him (could be a gal) since then. It’s nice to see him back because he’s unusual and all the little kids really like him.
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Posted on September 30, 2012, in Birds, Fauna, Mother & Father Nature, Photos, Picture of the Moment and tagged bird pictures, domestic crested duck pictures, la mesa pictures, lake murray pictures, san diego pictures. Bookmark the permalink. 26 Comments.
You captured a very unusual creature, Russel. He is different, but beautiful.
Blessings ~ Maxi
So beautiful but so sad that such a high percentage will never even hatch.
Always interested in learning about Nature and I learnt something New today… Hi Russel, hope you have a great Sunday
Sue
Weird (but I love weird)!
Little kids and ME TOO like these critters.
I am a little kid at heart, Russell and I love Cottontop!
Very curious but wonderful look
LOL! Your photos are lovely, and beautifully capture that very funny hairstyle.
What a beautiful creature! Great photos Russel.
He’s adorable! I’d love to pet him/her.
He’s so beautiful, it’s hard to think it’s a deformity.
Awesome clicks! It’s almost as he’s looking here and there, and saying, “Okay, the coast is clear! I can finally scratch my eye!”
In attempting to identify the wild ducks I’ve seen in my wanderings lately, I’ve been reading quite a bit about Mallards. With this very nice post, I’ve come to the conclusion that Mallards are really quite promiscuous!
I think he is so sweet and cute!
A reminder that diversity generates strength! Love stopping by…I always am inspired to take a second look at the ordinary to find the extraordinary….
What a terrific shot! Add us to the Cottontop fan club!
Welcome back Cottontop!
What an amazing bird! Lovely shots of Cottontop.
These are great photos and a brilliant post. Thanks for camping in my blog and see a bit of my world… I highly appreciate this. Now I’ll be seeing you around…Have fun camping!
Never seen a duck like that before. This lake ain’t near the San Onofre Nuclear Plant, is it? That puff ball on his head quacks me up.
We’re about 60 miles from San Onofre……..lol
cute.
Thanks for keeping an eye on him – he is quite a character…I can see why kids like him
Wow! Evolution still in progress! Great photos!
Wow! I’ve never seen him before! I love you’re blogs, I always learn something haha
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