hybrid duck, Sawston, Cambridge, UK, 26.04.2021 (1 Viewer)

[lou salomon]

i guess this is Mareca sibilatrix x ? but which is the other parent???
photographed by Tibi Nica, yesterday, 26.04.2021 in Sawston, Cambridge, UK.
Jörn, would you please have a look?

cheers

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

HI Lou,

Please could the photographer (or you) send all the originals to me -if photographer allows?

That seems to be something very unusual -one parent is clearly chiloe wigeon, as you already realized. and I have a suspicion about the other ....but if so , it is a new cross. I need a close look here

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eyep2HRWUAMdylL?format=jpg&name=large

We discussed what is probably the same duck with friends some time ago... My opinion was (and still is),
that it could be Lophonetta specularioides x Mareca sibilatrix .
I think your friends photos are from the same region and its likely the same species combo - the photo I linked is from Dernford reservoir , Cambridgeshire
But neither photos are clear enough to be 100% sure - and as far as I know there are no proven Lophonetta hybrids so far.

any look at the speculum might clarify this ....

 

[lou salomon]

ok, i'll ask Tibi. and i already suspected that pics of such a striking bird in a well watched location would already have found a way to you .
it was a real mystery which anatid could have accounted for that very long tail and i'd never have guessed it could be from Lophonetta specularioides.
i fear these are all the pics he took, though. i'll ask him about the originals.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Thanks Lou

interesting in this respect:

(PDF) Phylogenetic relationships of Amazonetta, Speculanas, Lophonetta, and Tachyeres: Four morphologically divergent duck genera endemic to South America

PDF | We studied the phylogenetic relationships of four duck genera endemic to South America: Brazilian teal Amazonetta brasiliensis, spectacled duck... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

 

[Tibinica]

HI Lou,

Please could the photographer (or you) send all the originals to me -if photographer allows?

That seems to be something very unusual -one parent is clearly chiloe wigeon, as you already realized. and I have a suspicion about the other ....but if so , it is a new cross. I need a close look here

Thanks a lot both J

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eyep2HRWUAMdylL?format=jpg&name=large

We discussed what is probably the same duck with friends some time ago... My opinion was (and still is),
that it could be Lophonetta specularioides x Mareca sibilatrix .
I think your friends photos are from the same region and its likely the same species combo - the photo I linked is from Dernford reservoir , Cambridgeshire
But neither photos are clear enough to be 100% sure - and as far as I know there are no proven Lophonetta hybrids so far.

any look at the speculum might clarify this ....

Thanks a lot both Jörn and Lou. Jörn, Lou send me your email address and I'll send you the originals later today.
The photos are indeed from the same location, Denford Reservoir. Since I live very close, I'll try to locate it again in the next couple of days.
Cheers

 

[Butty]

Dernford

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Yes please Tibinica, by all means try...

and try to get an open wing shot and to get information on leg color
That would be great

 

[Tibinica]

Yes please Tibinica, by all means try...

and try to get an open wing shot and to get information on leg color
That would be great

Managed to catch it flying today. I emailed you the originals.
Thanks!

 

[lou salomon]

nice documentation, Tibi

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Wow- that confirms it : Lophonetta specularioides x Mareca sibilatrix,

you have not only the long rear end of Lophonetta
an underwing resembling Lophonetta
the white trailing
speculum iridescence coppery like in Lophonetta
edge and white tongues reaching ito the speculum indicating that one parent must have had a broad white rear edge to the speculum, like Lophonetta, upperwing coverts mainly dark as in Lophonetta

see this for comparison:
Crested duck Lophonetta specularioides

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/CECFE4/crested-duck-lophonetta-specularioides-specularioides-in-flight-in-CECFE4.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/fd/2b/84fd2b0654444c750e538f21fb9ceded.jpg

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

wing pattern and body coloration of the other parent

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49899747621_eef304ac27_b.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D0aDlbOXcAYC6IH.jpg

paleness of body and scapular pattern show influence of Chiloe wigeon , head pattern and shape also does...

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

I can only speculate if there is a zoo with a setting with South American fauna closeby? while chiloe wigeon is extremly common in captivity , South American crested duck is not so, as far as I know

 

[Tibinica]

I can only speculate if there is a zoo with a setting with South American fauna closeby? while chiloe wigeon is extremly common in captivity , South American crested duck is not so, as far as I know

I'll search on the local zoo, but they are some really unusual animals on private land in Cambridgeshire as well. I found this article, but I'm not sure how trustworthy the magazine is:

Poultry breed of the month: The Crested Duck

Janice Houghton-Wallace looks at the waterfowl that wears a hat, the Crested Duck

www.southwestfarmer.co.uk

 

[lou salomon]

that's a domestic duck (of mallard ancestry) called "Crested Duck", Tibi, different to the wild south-american species L. specularoides.

 

[Tibinica]

You`re right, as always. Mea culpa!
I asked on a neighbours forum, maybe I can locate the parents.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Tibi,
I cant add something to this thread, I just wanted to say a big "Thank You" to you. I see that you just joined this forum to provide pictures of a very unusual bird (including excellent flight shots) that, coupled with expert comments, results in a very intesting thread for future reference.

 

[Tibinica]

One of my neighbours pointed out that is a a breeder of exotic waterfowl almost next door - they might have some connection for parentage?

River Cottage Ornemental Waterfowl | ducks, teals, wigeons, swans, for sale and breeding

River Cottage Waterfowl (Cambridge) are keepers, breeders, and traders of ducks, teals, and ornamental waterfowl from around the World. Flock sale throughout the year.

www.rivercottagewaterfowl.co.uk

PS Thanks Alexander, your very kind!

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Thanks Tibi, they do not seem to have Lophonetta, but maybe they do not mention it ...

They have Marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) , but that doesn´t fit with several traits , e.g. with the speculum
(though this species is superficially somewhat similar on first glance)