Baer's pochard x ?????(hybrid), 2/3/23, Namyangju, South Korea (1 Viewer)

[sandwich311]

Helo,
I have this down on eBird as a Ferruginous duck x Baer's pochard hybrid but it is still unconfirmed.
What kind of hybrid do you think it is?
Thanks

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Why do you think it's a hybrid? It looks like an ordinary Baer's Pochard to me - not that there's really anything ordinary about a Baer's Pochard. 😎

 

[sandwich311]

I thought the chestnut tinge on the crown would indicate a hybrid. As far as I know Baer's only have a glossy greenish-black head.

 

[Butty]

chestnut tinge

...or just iridescence?

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

There are many pictures online that show that chestnut. I checked.

 

[sandwich311]

Thanks for your help

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Do you have any more photos? i think a breeding plumage Baer's with reddish crown is strange.

The reddish crown doesn´t seem to be iridescence, but reddish brown feathers---something like you can see in several (butb not all) hybrids Tufted duck x Ferruinous duck

https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/406785621/

This is also interesting in that respect:

More on Baer’s Pochard, Baer’s-like birds and Hybrids | Birds Korea Blog

There is a Baer´s in there which still has a reddish brown head in december , but there the crown is the darkest part of the head.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

There are many pictures online that show that chestnut. I checked.

Where? could you please link some?

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Where? could you please link some?

I just did a google search.

 

[HouseCrow]

ebird has male red crowned adults too in both India and China: Baer's Pochard - Aythya baeri - Media Search - Macaulay Library and eBird

cheers,
G

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Thanks , that is interesting... google search did nor yield such birds for me but from the ebird link it is clear there are some more such birds ....

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

I think this may be more difficult than it seems on first glance. Additionally Baer´s is one of the Aythyas where i do not have much experience, and this complicates matters further for me ...
Also, as far as I know, Aythya hybrids are fertile and backcrosses with either parent species are possible... so would a Baer´s with a reddish-brown crown have some Ferruginous duck genes from way back or is that a trait occuring also in pure Baer´s Pochard?

Birds seen as probable Ferruginous x Baer´s:

https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/541340221/480

https://cdn.download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/302644451/1800

https://www.birdskoreablog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hybrid_Gangneung_March2015_Choi-Chul-Soon_RS12-1024x684.jpg

 

[sandwich311]

Thanks for your help. Here are a couple more pictures of the same bird. I also notice that the white on the flank isn't as strong. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

https://www.birdskoreablog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BP-MM-15-3-06_RS-1024x682.jpg

This bird by Pete Morris from Martin Mere is rather close to your bird, with rufous on crown and reduced white on fore flank, but I do not think that your bird or the Martin Mere bird are first generation crosses- in that case I think they should be more intermediate. So possibly backcrosses of Baer´s x Ferruginous duck to Baer´s?

For comparison I think the bird in this link would be a first generation hybrid Baer's x Ferruginous duck:

https://flic.kr/p/QPhgQB