'You never know': Internet wonders after Oregon Wildlife dept shares pics of camouflaged animal

The department made the video hoping visitors to not bother them during nesting season

UPDATED APR 7, 2023

The video left social media users puzzled as they found it exceedingly difficult to identify the animal mentioned by the wildlife department (@MyODFW/Twitter)

PORTLAND, OREGON: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife dropped a new video and the internet went into a frenzy. The clip was intended to make people more aware of local wildlife, but it actually turned into a 'duck hunt.' In the video, the officer shot footage along a grassy area where a duck took hiding in plain sight but got camouflaged by the brown reeds. To be more specific, it was a mallard duck caught nesting in front of the agency’s building. It was a good enough reason for the team to capture the moment and use it as an opportunity to appeal to onlookers to ‘'leave wildlife alone so they can go about the work of making more wildlife.'

It may not feel like it, but it’s spring, and that means we’ll have a bunch of chicks, goslings, and ducklings, among others, running around soon,' the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife captioned the video in a tweet. It is interesting to know that Mallard ducks are great when it comes to adapting to urban surroundings. Keeping that in mind, the department made the video hoping visitors to not bother them during nesting season. The ones filmed by the Oregon wildlife office are the most common of their kind and can be spotted throughout the state, reports the Daily Mail.

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You never know where you’ll find wildlife!

It may not feel like it, but it’s spring, and that means we’ll have a bunch of chicks, goslings and ducklings, among others, running around soon.

Please leave wildlife alone so they can go about the work of making more wildlife. pic.twitter.com/Pwt9WnPCwY
— Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (@MyODFW) April 4, 2023

What is special about Mallard ducks?

Mallards are puddle or dabbling ducks, who normally feed by dabbling or dipping over submerging. They usually migrate and reside in coastal and inland marshes, ponds, lakes, agricultural fields, and rivers. These were first domesticated in 4000 BC by Egyptians, Europeans, and Chinese. As per ancient Egyptians' belief system, the ducks were a symbol of fertility, while others brought them in for their kitchen tables.

'You never know where you’ll find wildlife'

Mallard duck screenshot — Mallard ducks usually migrate and reside in coastal and inland marshes (@MyODFW/Twitter)

“You never know where you’ll find wildlife,' the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife wrote in the tweet. It is said that almost all domestic duck breeds are traced back to Mallard. Domestic ducks and Mallards are the same species with similar genes. The Mallards ducks can easily cross-breed with 63 other duck species and form a chain of fertile hybrid offspring. However, there’s another side to the coin, which means cross-breeding can dilute the duck breed population and cause ‘genetic pollution’ that causes wild, indigenous waterfowl extinction.