Hybrid Duck, Fife (1 Viewer)

[Gander]

Back in May I found a hybrid Tufted x female Pochard in central Fife.

Scaup Type , Letham Fife

Seen this morning. Peak at back of head favours Lesser, but unsure if I can eliminate Scaup x Tufted hybrid.

www.birdforum.net

This morning I visited a local water, where a Lesser Scaup has been reported. I took some very distant photos, but would like to confirm whether this is a Lesser Scaup or the afore mentioned hybrid? Incidentally, or maybe importantly, the water visited this morning is the one that the hybrid I found was originally recorded on about 20 miles away from where I saw it.

I'm leaning towards hybrid this time, so that means it's probably good for Lesser Scaup.🤞Though last photo does seem to show sizeable black tip to beak.

 

[nartreb]

You've got no clear shots of the bill this time.... maaaybe the last one shows a wide dark tip, but that could easily just be a shadow, or pure photo artifact.

I can also see a bit of a brownish cast to the head in your May photos, but not this time.

On photo evidence, I'd call this "scaup until proven otherwise." (I wouldn't try to decide Lesser vs Greater on these photos, and I would not necessarily rely on previous reports.)

 

[Southern Viking]

I'd say the peaked rear crown comfortably rules out Greater Scaup, and I don't believe the photos are ambiguous on that, albeit obviously not great quality. I do agree with @nartreb though that the details like the nail on the bill just can't be made out clearly enough to say whether a hybrid or not. If the extent in the last photo is true then it must be a hybrid.

 

[edenwatcher]

Is the last bird even a scaup though? I could believe it was a tufty.

Rob

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Flanks of the bird in question seem a shade greyer to me than in the tufted ducks, and no clear photos of bill tip ... so from these photos here in this initial post it could even be a hybrid tufted x pochard again