Garganey-Mallard hybrid? May 23 Germany near Paderborn (1 Viewer)

[Andy Hurley]

Hi, I'm a bit confused with this duck. Found in the Steinhorster Becken near Paderborn, Germany I assumed it was a Garganey until s opened it's wings. According to the Collins 2nd Ed. it should have a greyish brown speculum surrounded by white. This looks very much like a Mallard on the speculum and has whitish tail sides. The bill is grey and fits Garganey better. Is it a hybrid?

Thanks very much for you help!

 

[nartreb]

It's not hard to find photos of female/eclipse garganey showing greenish sheen from the speculum, and I guess they would also show blue if the light were just right. But the speculum in your photo has a distinct black border inside of the white border, like a mallard (and unlike a garganey). As you also note, your bird has more white on the tail than I would expect for a garganey.

I think you're right, this looks like a hybrid. (It's not a mallard - the white "eyebrow" is too extreme, for starters.)

 

[Andy Hurley]

It's not hard to find photos of female/eclipse garganey showing greenish sheen from the speculum, and I guess they would also show blue if the light were just right. But the speculum in your photo has a distinct black border inside of the white border, like a mallard (and unlike a garganey). As you also note, your bird has more white on the tail than I would expect for a garganey.

I think you're right, this looks like a hybrid. (It's not a mallard - the white "eyebrow" is too extreme, for starters.)

Thanks very much!

 

[Andy Adcock]

I'd go with hybrid too Andy, I wonder if this is a regular combo?

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Andy,
tfs this interesting bird! Do you have more pictures of this duck?
While the head pattern seems to show a good Garganey pattern, I have seen similar "manky Mallards" before (with white supercilium and rusty cheeks).

What gives your bird a Garganey vibe imo is apart from the head pattern the Garganey/smaller duck shape: head and neck seems small in relation to the body, head is rounded and the bill is spatulate (and smallish, but long/drawn out. I hope thats understandable).

If more pictures confirm this Garganey shape, than I think its indeed an hybrid and I agree with your ID.
But if more pictures gives it a more Mallard like shape, than its one more example of a "manky Mallard".

(Is the speculum, especially the blue area, too broad for a Garganey? And the narro trailing edge to the whitish secondaries on the underwing better for a Mallard?)

Yes, one more comment that came out more confident that it is intended to be=better wait for Jörn and more comments and no offense you know!

 

[Andy Hurley]

Thanks very much Andy and Alexander. I agree with waiting for Jörn's input.
There is a bit of orange at the edges of the bill base. but not decisively Mallard, manky or otherwise in my experience.
I have one more photo!

Edit: The white spot behind the bill is another good Garganey feature AFAIK. The chicks could well be from the Canada Geese just in shot, left of frame.

 

[Andy Hurley]

It's not hard to find photos of female/eclipse garganey showing greenish sheen from the speculum, and I guess they would also show blue if the light were just right. But the speculum in your photo has a distinct black border inside of the white border, like a mallard (and unlike a garganey). As you also note, your bird has more white on the tail than I would expect for a garganey.

I think you're right, this looks like a hybrid. (It's not a mallard - the white "eyebrow" is too extreme, for starters.)

I agree about the greenish sheen on the speculum, just need to look at the Gallery. Although the Collins does say it is not green. May be from a time before digital photography?

 

[johnallcock]

I would guess that the head pattern could result from (Eastern?) Spotbill genes in the ancestry, rather than Garganey. I'm not suggesting this is a direct hybrid between these two species, but some domestic duck breeds are hybrids with spotbills, and this head pattern could perhaps result from breeding with domestic breeds.

Edit: The white spot behind the bill is another good Garganey feature AFAIK. The chicks could well be from the Canada Geese just in shot, left of frame.

The young birds are ducklings, probably from the female in question, not goslings.

 

[Andy Hurley]

I would guess that the head pattern could result from (Eastern?) Spotbill genes in the ancestry, rather than Garganey. I'm not suggesting this is a direct hybrid between these two species, but some domestic duck breeds are hybrids with spotbills, and this head pattern could perhaps result from breeding with domestic breeds.



The young birds are ducklings, probably from the female in question, not goslings.

Thanks John, I had to look that one up. Interesting duck!

 

[jurek]

While the head pattern seems to show a good Garganey pattern, I have seen similar "manky Mallards" before (with white supercilium and rusty cheeks).

I have seen Mallards with such unusually streaked head pattern, too. Possibly with the influence of domestic duck genes. For my untrained eye it is an unusual Mallard, possibly a domestic duck hybrid. A Garganey would show, among others, dark leading line on underwing, which should also be visible in a hybrid.

Pity that the size of the bird is not visible. Was it clearly smaller than a Mallard?

 

[Andy Hurley]

I have seen Mallards with such unusually streaked head pattern, too. Possibly with the influence of domestic duck genes. For my untrained eye it is an unusual Mallard, possibly a domestic duck hybrid. A Garganey would show, among others, dark leading line on underwing, which should also be visible in a hybrid.

Pity that the size of the bird is not visible. Was it clearly smaller than a Mallard?

Hi Jurek, thanks for your reply. I can't recall with any certainty ( I didn't note down any wrt that) any direct size comparisons to Mallards and I don't think the Canada Goose will help in that respect either, unless you are a brilliant mathematician that can work out distance and angle from a photo..

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Andy,

thanks for the new picture!
As it seems to show a more "normal=Mallard-like" head and bill shape and proportions, I agree with all its a Mallard with some unusual head pattern (which I nearly always name as manky Mallards, although this may sometimes not seem appropiate = my lazy approach when it comes to names).

Please compare to these Mallards:

https://flic.kr/p/2pDatwp

(Kiel, N-Germany, 03.08.2013)

https://flic.kr/p/24v6KUT

(Prenzlau, NE-Germany, 17.01.2018 )

And thanks John for your interesting comment! Didnt think of this possibility, but as Spotbilled Duck is present in some zoos/collections in Germany, this might well be the explanation for this or similar head patterns of manky Mallards (sorry lazy again) there.

But as always: ... thanks Jörn and all!

 

[Andy Hurley]

Hello Andy,

thanks for the new picture!
As it seems to show a more "normal=Mallard-like" head and bill shape and proportions, I agree with all its a Mallard with some unusual head pattern (which I nearly always name as manky Mallards, although this may sometimes not seem appropiate = my lazy approach when it comes to names).

Please compare to these Mallards:

https://flic.kr/p/2pDatwp

(Kiel, N-Germany, 03.08.2013)

https://flic.kr/p/24v6KUT

(Prenzlau, NE-Germany, 17.01.2018 )

And thanks John for your interesting comment! Didnt think of this possibility, but as Spotbilled Duck is present in some zoos/collections in Germany, this might well be the explanation for this or similar head patterns of manky Mallards (sorry lazy again) there.

But as always: ... thanks Jörn and all!

Thanks Alexander. I found another Mallard I photographed from 2009 in Bayern, the year before I really started birding, which has a comparable Mallard size and the same white super and dark bill. They were in my holiday photos folder on a different external drive.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Only now seeing that, it is a mallard variant ...
wether this has some spotbill genes from domestic duck breeds ( some domestic Asian breeds seem to have some spotbill genes) or weather this head pattern can also arise independently , is not clear to me ...

 

[Andy Hurley]

Only now seeing that, it is a mallard variant ...
wether this has some spotbill genes from domestic duck breeds ( some domestic Asian breeds seem to have some spotbill genes) or weather this head pattern can also arise independently , is not clear to me ...

Thanks Jörn. I think it's always going to be difficult to say definitively without lab samples. There are quite a few collectors around Germany, as well as farmyard species to mix up the gene pool.