Hybrid duck? (1 Viewer)

[marek_walford]

Got some ideas what this might be but would welcome some suggestions.

 

[James Lowther]

completely uneducated guess....
mallard x pintail??

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

U-oh,
Just took a short look:
with that pattern and with that head and bill shape as well as the tertials it looks like an Aythya x Anas...odd thing

Tentative guess would be Mallard x Common pochard

Any more photos?

 

[marek_walford]

Any more photos?

Just the one more of the bird up-ending. This is noteworthy in that it didn't behave like an aythya, i.e. it didn't dive.

I was leaning towards Mallard x Gadwall but I did consider Mallard x Pochard and I can see the thinking behind Mallard x Pintail.

I really don't know but it seems there is a consensus that there are Mallard genes. If anybody has anything else to say or photos etc. I'd be very interested.

 

[Tri-Counties Birder]

What about Mallard x Garganey? (I'm looking at the pale marks behind the bill).

 

[London Birder]

looks like Mallard with a head and bill shape reminiscent of Pochard

 

[Vinch]

Very strange bird...

Maybe Pochard X Mallard or Pochard X Garganey (pale mark behind the bill & tertials`?) ???

Joern, have you got any example of Aythia x Anas hybrids for comparisons ???

 

[marek_walford]

What about Mallard x Garganey? (I'm looking at the pale marks behind the bill).

Yes, thought that too! Great you're all coming up with the same thoughts! Everything I considered has been mentioned now. Still can't decide what it's most likely to be. Photos of aythya x anas hybrids would be great.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi Marek,
any information on size possible?

Hi Vincent; I guess depending on size of the bird Common Pochard x Garganey might also be a good option. (all black bill hinting to that also!)

I have not found many photographs of such birds (Aythya x Anas),but see the following collage.
Aythya x Anas 1 I consider to be probably gadwall x probably Canvasback.

Aythya x Anas 2 and 3 are different birds but I think both are ferruginous duck x mallard.

The last one Aytha x Anas 4 is the bird I feel most confident about(most of the observers see this as a RedCrested pochard x Mallard;but it differes very much from all othe rhybrids of that combination I know of,especially head shape is different) I consider this to be a Common Pochard x Mallard.

The head shape of the last one reminds me of mareks bird but Mareks bird now looks much more elegant to me and could well be a smaller bird.

Unfortunately there is only one female hybrid in my collage,but there are some similarities to mareks bird, like the impression the flank and back pattern gives and the darkspeckled underside.

What do you think???

 

[marek_walford]

any information on size possible?

It was not a small bird. Roughly the same size as a Mallard.

 

[Vinch]

Ok,

Thank you Jörn for the photos and marek for the bird's size.

I'm thinking now that the better option for Marek's duck would be pochard x Mallard hybrid.

Best regards.

 

[harryabbott]

Looks very Gadwall drake.What about a straightforward Gadwall drake in eclipse plumage.
I have attached a pic of a Gadwall drake I took yesterday in Donana.
Lots of very similar characteristics.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi all,
see a little comparison between different female ducks and a little comparison with the mystery female and a male probable Common Pochard x Mallard.
My thoughts to the collage of female ducks:

1.All Anas duck females are excluded as the pattern of flank feathers and back feathers is different in Anas (In Anas: change of light and dark colours on each flank feather in a complicated stripe pattern with sharp demarcations between lighter and darker colour).

Allthough pure Anas females are excluded, some more reasons to exclude specific Anas species:

2. I think we can exclude Garganey and Garganey hybrids due to the information on size given by Marek.

3. A pure Gadwall is clearly excluded alone on different head and bill profile and less marked head pattern (Compare with Harry´s pic); a male Gadwall in eclipse at this time of the year would be unusual also.

4. a pure pochard and a pure mallard are also obviouly excluded-just look at the photos...
but one of the major features of the female pochards head pattern is the lighter area at the base of the bill-now combine this with the female mallards head pattern.

also look at head and bill shape.

and at last,the light feather in the wing of Mareks duck could at first hint to gadwall but do not forget the pochards wing pattern!

So I am quite convinced this is a Mallard x Common Pochard.

Jörn

 

[KayD]

I didn't know a mallard and pochard could breed to produce hybid? I've seen unusual colouring and charictaristics of hybrid mallard before, but I allways put this down to wild mallards breeding with domestic/farmyard ducks?

 

[London Birder]

and for the most part you're probably perfectly correct in doing so kstar, however the Anatidae are reknowned for all sorts of weird and wonderful combo's

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Kstar,you are absolutely right-in most cases it´s just that , as London Birder says

I guess on 2000-3000 miscoloured mallards you see (due to breeding with farmjard ducks-which are actually the domestic variant of the same species),you will have 1 -2 hybrids between species.

However,some of these are really weird (Eider x Goosander for example; or pintail x wood duck for example)

 

[marek_walford]

So I am quite convinced this is a Mallard x Common Pochard.Jörn

I agree. Thanks for the comments. I found this bird really fascinating, but then I live in Berkshire where the birding is crap!