Greater Scaup, Hong Kong. (1 Viewer)

[MKinHK]

The central bird in the photo below is clearly a Greater Scaup, and I presume is a male given the absence of white at the base of the bill and the first signs of a pale grey vermiculated mantle starting to to moult through.

What I'm curious about is the pale patch on the side of the neck, which I thought was a feature of females.

A search on Google images found nothing that looked like this, so I'm wondering if any BFers have seen or know of pix of similar birds.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

Mike I don't see anywhere near enough Greater Scaup these days but I am presuming the pale patch is retained juvenile plumage such is the variation in moult timing. I too failed to find an image that matched in a quick search but this feature is illustrated in Reeber's Wildfowl (plate 50 e) if a little more advanced, though his bird retains some pale at the bill base.

Grahame

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Mike,

like Grahame I think your bird is a first winter male, moulting from juvenile to an adult like plumage. They can look like your Scaup, as a female-like paler patch on the side of the head is present in some juvenile Scaups of both sexes (sex is not determinable in the field in this plumage as far as I know).
Also, the darker, not so clear and bright yellow coloured eye is pointing towards a younger bird.

 

[Nutcracker]

Got this juv/1st-w drake Greater Scaup on my local patch at the moment; it shares the pale cheek patch though also has a white face patch (very rust-stained!). No grey male feathers on this side, but it has 2 on its rear flank on the other side.

 

[MKinHK]

Many thanks Gents - and Merry Christmas!

Cheers
Mike