Aquatic Birds

Intersex Mallard

This is my 2nd time to see an intersex duck, first time was a wood duck. So odd looking. The beak is what a female mallard would have but the plumage coloration and curly tail is what a male mallard would have. After researching again, this explains it well: "intersex female birds start off looking like females and gradually develop male features. It seems that the majority of the bird's plumage will change (assuming the species is sexually dimorphic) before the bare parts change, so a significant clue to the fact that we are dealing with an intersex is plumage that has clear male traits while the bill remains female-like." https://birdhybrids.blogspot.com/2015/01/intersex-birds-and-their-confusion-with.html)
She/he is very beautiful and posed nicely for me.
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

white rock lakedallas texassunset bayduckaquatic birdwater fowlswimmingclose upunusualoddstrangeboth male and female traitsintersex ducklooking at meaquaticAnas platyrhynchosbreeding colorsmallardintersex mallard