Mystery Hybrid Duck in Texas (1 Viewer)

[rhardin]

https://i.imgur.com/Io62ODG.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pr1dacf.jpg

This duck has been continuing at the Hill Country Galleria in Austin since the 24th of December and I have been unable to ID it. I have talked to several birders and redhead x red breasted merganser and redhead x red crested pochard have both been suggested. Red eye, narrow and hooked bill with no “teeth”. Bill is solid white with pink patterning. Forehead meets bill at a 45° angle, and back of head has a concave outline. Head is dark red, breast and body are black with purple sheen, back is brown and sides are white/gray with fine barring. Rump is black. Any commentary and opinions are welcome and would be of help. I’ll link photos.

 

[rylirk]

I'd guess it has some scaup or ring-neck heritage somewhere down the line? No evidence of merganser heritage imo

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

It is a hybrid Red crested pochard Netta rufina with an Aythya species (or with Rosybill Netta peposaca) .

A typical indication of Redcrested pochard hybrids with Aythya sp. or with Rosybill is that the area of the white "shoulder patch" of Red crested pochard

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...ard)_Male,_London_Wetland_Centre_-_Diliff.jpg

shows a vermiculated black and white pattern.

This is clearly the case here. So I think given the location , I would suggest either Redcrested Pochard x Redhead, or Redcrested Pochard x Rosybill. I´d have to dig deeper which looks better...

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

hybrids Redcrested pochard x Common Pochard , different individuals,
a typical Netta x Aythya hybrid for Europe:

https://www.birdimagency.com/data/m...ommon-Pochard-x-Red-crested-Pochard-52742.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A_uWT-7fqB8/VuCOguQOh6I/AAAAAAAANbk/ea81uD5f9pA/s1600/2741.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CbLYfTCWwAI8qfM.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/3314/4608228501_15108c6a1f_b.jpg

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

hybrids Redcrested pochard x Rosybill tend to have a darker, more blackish head:

https://t1.thpservices.com/previewi...ccca0fe578bde1b25960a/fhr-01972-00002-163.jpg

https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5523348198_f711197e81_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/5260/5522771423_62aa3cb243_b.jpg

Also the vermiculations on the flanks are weaker in F1 hybrids .

That means the Texas bird is either a 2nd generation hybrid (F2; which are possible in this cross as far as i know)
It wouldn´t explain the mainly whitish to very pale bluegrey bill though (RC Pochard x Rosybill should have red bills).

Such bill coloration is seen in Tufted duck x redcrested Pochard:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...d_Pochard_Hybrid_Species_of_Duck_093corel.jpg



OR your bird is a hybrid Redhead x Redcrested pochard. Bill coloration , mainly dark feet and marked vermiculations on the flanks would fit that well.
So I´d go with this combination

 

[rhardin]

Thanks for the help. Now for the next question: obviously red crested pochard is not native to North America but it is a rather common exotic. What’s the likelihood that this hybrid occurred between an escaped exotic and a wild duck? The hybrid was not banded and was associating with several wild and domestic mallards as well as green winged teal. It was also noticeably skittish and kept its distance from me while the other ducks were inquisitive. There was a female redhead on the pond but she was solitary the entire time I was there.

 

[stevethehydra]

Joern, I'd expect RCP x Redhead to have more or less the same coloration as RCP x Common Pochard. This bird looks darker, especially on the head (somewhat close to Ferruginous Duck). I wouldn't expect Ferruginous to be involved in a hybrid found in the US, but I wonder if something like this could be produced by crossing RCP with a dark-headed species such as (Greater/Lesser) Scaup or Ring-necked Duck? It isn't as blackish as RCP x Tufted, which I'd probably expect the latter to be similar to (or maybe not given how much paler RND females are than Tufted?), so maybe RCP x Scaup sp might be most plausible for this?

(The only photo I can find of a potential RCP x Scaup sp is of a female unfortunately, so not helpful in this case...)

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Joern, I'd expect RCP x Redhead to have more or less the same coloration as RCP x Common Pochard. This bird looks darker, especially on the head (somewhat close to Ferruginous Duck). I wouldn't expect Ferruginous to be involved in a hybrid found in the US, but I wonder if something like this could be produced by crossing RCP with a dark-headed species such as (Greater/Lesser) Scaup or Ring-necked Duck? It isn't as blackish as RCP x Tufted, which I'd probably expect the latter to be similar to (or maybe not given how much paler RND females are than Tufted?), so maybe RCP x Scaup sp might be most plausible for this?

(The only photo I can find of a potential RCP x Scaup sp is of a female unfortunately, so not helpful in this case...)

Good question . I double checked.

With RCP x Ferruginous duck the iris color would not be red in my experience. It would be whitish to creamy yellow to pale orange. Also the flanks would have a weak brown hue below the vermiculations. Furthermore a fully black breast is rare in this cross.

The first generation hybrids I know are with Tufted duck (I think at least 3 different birds) and with Rosybill (many, didn´t count them any more). They all have a darker head coloration.

I would expect that RCP with any darkheaded Aythya would repeat that head pattern. Aythya x Netta seem to be infertile, I have not heard of a successfull reproduction of such a hybrid .
As I said, that would again leave us with a 2nd generation hybrid RCP x Rosybill (F2; which are possible in this cross as far as i know) that could show a slightly darker head coloration than RCP or Redhead. But then there is again the difficulty of the bill coloration ?

I got sent privately two photos of a hybrid RCP x Redhead which differs in the following respects: reddish orange iris and paler vermiculations on the flanks than the Texas mystery bird. (Comparing eye color with another hybrid: Most redhead x Canvasback also have orange eyes, but there is the occasional bird with more red iris)

So the question is-is the flank pattern too dark for a redhead x rcp hybrid ?

It would be intersting to hear some North American views and to see more photos of this bird under other light conditions

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Thanks for the help. Now for the next question: obviously red crested pochard is not native to North America but it is a rather common exotic. What’s the likelihood that this hybrid occurred between an escaped exotic and a wild duck? The hybrid was not banded and was associating with several wild and domestic mallards as well as green winged teal. It was also noticeably skittish and kept its distance from me while the other ducks were inquisitive. There was a female redhead on the pond but she was solitary the entire time I was there.

I think the discussion on the true identity may not be finished yet, see previous post.

I can´t give you the exact likelyhood but if an escape survives and can´t find any partner of its own species, it will certainly seek out a mate from another species.
In captivity RCP is known to hybridise with a lot of species quite easily (Rosybill also is not too choosy in that respect). In the wild in Europe RCP hybridises especially with Mallard, but also regularly with Common Pochard and Ferrugineous duck.

 

[lou salomon]

does there exist pics of rosybill x redhead, jörn?

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

does there exist pics of rosybill x redhead, jörn?

At least I do not know any. But the problem then would be that both Rosybill and Redhead have a large black bill tip.
This surely would show up in a hybrid where both parents show this trait