Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
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Gadwall Hybrid (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Steve Lister
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Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
Thanks Butty, maybe you are right but this bird was so obviously orange and green in the field that it stood out as different to anything I have noticed before. Mallard/Gadwall hybrids can show the same dark green crown and nape.
The Reeber Wildfowl book suggests duller versions of this plumage are frequent in North America and eastern Asia and may be the result of historic hybridisation with Falcated Duck.
The Reeber Wildfowl book suggests duller versions of this plumage are frequent in North America and eastern Asia and may be the result of historic hybridisation with Falcated Duck.
Alexander Stöhr
Well-known member
Hello Steve,
do you have more pictures?
I fully agree with Butty, that some Gadwalls have a contrasting head pattern similar to your bird, but with your second post in mind (you know, colours are difficult to judge on pictures. Our eyes coupled with the brain are far more effective you know), I think this Duck is well worth a closer look:
It might well be a Gadwall x Mallard hybrid, but better wait for other comments. Thanks!
do you have more pictures?
I fully agree with Butty, that some Gadwalls have a contrasting head pattern similar to your bird, but with your second post in mind (you know, colours are difficult to judge on pictures. Our eyes coupled with the brain are far more effective you know), I think this Duck is well worth a closer look:
- it has a sharp white demarcation line between the black end and the grey flanks
- is there a pale yellowish tip at the bill?
- a pale blaze to the front of the head is rare at best in Gadwall. I cant remember having seen one before, why two coloured head with pale cheeks are regular.
- rusty-buff cheeks seems strange to me, but only after you mentioned this. Thanks!
- same with a whitish ring around the neck
It might well be a Gadwall x Mallard hybrid, but better wait for other comments. Thanks!
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
stevethehydra
Well-known member
Interesting bird, looks similar to Gadwall x Mallard hybrids that I have seen, but closer to Gadwall than most. Could be a backcrossed hybrid (3/4 Gadwall, 1/4 Mallard) or just towards the Gadwall-like end of hybrid variation.
The second bird in those last 2 photos shows a bit of the contrasting head pattern that Butty mentions. I have seen some stronger than that, but none with such green/yellow tones - more like the lower part of the face being almost white.
The second bird in those last 2 photos shows a bit of the contrasting head pattern that Butty mentions. I have seen some stronger than that, but none with such green/yellow tones - more like the lower part of the face being almost white.
Joern Lehmhus
Well-known member
I think this is a Gadwall with some mallard genes,
I assume all photos show the same bird. Apart from the greenish iridescence on the head, there seem to be pale areas in the bill, a brown hue to the breast and some whitish grey in the black area on the wing in front of the speculum. together these traits point to mallard involvement.
But as stevethehydra already said, the bird looks closer to Gadwall, so it could be a backcross (Gadwall x Mallard) x Gadwall.
As Butty said, there is a capped head pattern in some gadwalls, but it is more diffuse than this. If this has to do with ancient hybridisation events is unclear, but Sebastian Reeber was not the first to discuss introgression of Falcated duck into Gadwall populations. Several years ago there was a paper , where they found that some gadwall populations have the mitochondrial dna of the Falcated duck (the mitochondria in an animal´s cells are normally inherited from the mother and have their own dna, independent from the dna in the nucleus).
I assume all photos show the same bird. Apart from the greenish iridescence on the head, there seem to be pale areas in the bill, a brown hue to the breast and some whitish grey in the black area on the wing in front of the speculum. together these traits point to mallard involvement.
But as stevethehydra already said, the bird looks closer to Gadwall, so it could be a backcross (Gadwall x Mallard) x Gadwall.
As Butty said, there is a capped head pattern in some gadwalls, but it is more diffuse than this. If this has to do with ancient hybridisation events is unclear, but Sebastian Reeber was not the first to discuss introgression of Falcated duck into Gadwall populations. Several years ago there was a paper , where they found that some gadwall populations have the mitochondrial dna of the Falcated duck (the mitochondria in an animal´s cells are normally inherited from the mother and have their own dna, independent from the dna in the nucleus).
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