Welcome to Catnapin's

Bird Gallery

Ducks

order Anseriformes - family Anatidae (Duck, Goose, Swan) - subfamily Anatinae

Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos

These are my husband's newest pets bought at a feed store.  They were hand raised in our backyard.  We lost some of the females to raccoons as they set on their nests.  Ducklings put on female color feathers at a few weeks old.  The first sign of male color is the bill slowly turning yellow.  Adult males quickly change color in only a few days, at about 2 1/2 months.

Ducks lay eggs bigger than an extra large chicken egg.  The yoke is orange, not yellow!  And so yummy!

Photos taken in Taylor County, April 2008, May, October 2008

(Native of Texas)

Can you see the duck?  She is sitting on her nest.  Her mottled coloration blends into the shadows.