Birds in St James' Park, England (1 Viewer)

[UKBirder23]

My sister took some videos of some birds in St James' Park, and I was helping her ID all the birds later on. Two have me stumped. The first two photos, I know the Black Swan, of course, but can anyone please ID the bird in the water behind it? The third photo looks like a hybrid Tufted Duck - but if so, any guesses what it's a hybrid with? Thank you all!

 

[david kelly]

I think that the duck in the swan pics is a Chiloe Wigeon and the third pic is a Rosybill. Both species are South American.

David

 

[THE_FERN]

The "tufted duck" isn't a hybrid, it's a rosy-billed Pochard part of the captive collection there. Out of focus behind the black swan is a chiloe wigeon (likewise). In theory this forum doesn't accept captive birds but...

 

[UKBirder23]

Thank you both, very helpful.
Fern, I'm curious what the line is on captive birds. I just did some quick research and eBird lists the Chiloe Wigeon and Rosy-Billed Pochards in St James' Park as escapees - if that's true, are they really captive birds? I've always been curious about how to deal with escapees on life birding lists!

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

I am pretty certain the Rosybill at least is wingclipped, and so could only leave the park on foot; captive to all intents and purposes. For eBird, I guess Escaped is a reasonable term for something that appears to live (more or less) as a wild bird so ends up being reported to them.

 

[UKBirder23]

Ah, well if its wings are clipped then clearly it's captive, thanks for that.

 

[THE_FERN]

Thank you both, very helpful.
Fern, I'm curious what the line is on captive birds. I just did some quick research and eBird lists the Chiloe Wigeon and Rosy-Billed Pochards in St James' Park as escapees - if that's true, are they really captive birds? I've always been curious about how to deal with escapees on life birding lists!

Well maybe escapes but more likely not. Check if the wings are clipped (feathers clipped or part of wing surgically removed).

There are plenty of escapes but also ebirders who disregard requests not to record collection birds (or who know no better). Incidentally, I'd take ebird's asterisks with a pinch of salt

 

[aeshna5]

There is a fully winged Black Swan sometimes seen in St. James's Park that is also turns up in Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens (it was on the Round Pond yesterday), but this may still be a pinioned bird in your photo? Should be easy to see this in the field. The Rosybill is a collection bird.