Lesser Whistling Ducks - Siem Reap, Cambodia this afternoon (1 Viewer)

[Aladdin]

Dear Members and Bird Watchers!

I spotted 6 Lesser Whistling Ducks today and they were in a group.


A couple of meters away there was another duck, looking like a Lesser Whistling Duck. But the duck had white plumage.

Is it possible to say if it is a cross breeding between what ducks? Or is it an albino bird. Looking exactly the same, only the colour is different.

Kind Regards and Happy Birding
Aladdin

 

[bhutjoe]

I wonder if your white duck is a cotton pygmy goose. But hopefully someone with more expertise than I have will jump in.

 

[Indobirder]

I agree with leucistic Lesser Whistling Duck

 

[Aladdin]

I wonder if your white duck is a cotton pygmy goose. But hopefully someone with more expertise than I have will jump in.

Thank you!

I thought the same, but the bird have a yellow eye ring and I could not see this on any of the pictures of the goose

Kind Regards
Aladdin

 

[Aladdin]

I agree with leucistic Lesser Whistling Duck

Thank you!

I think the birds look exactly the same, except for the colour so I think it might be an albino.

Kind Regards
Aladdin

 

[nartreb]

Your bird has a floppy crest dangling from the back of its head, exactly the same shape as the other whistling-ducks. You wouldn't see that on a cotton pygmy goose.

 

[THE_FERN]

shape etc v different to cotton pygmy goose

 

[stevethehydra]

Whistling ducks are among the many duck species that have been captive-bred to produce "ornamental" colour variants. Of course the gene mutations involved could also occur in the wild, but this could easily be an escaped bird.

 

[Aladdin]

Whistling ducks are among the many duck species that have been captive-bred to produce "ornamental" colour variants. Of course the gene mutations involved could also occur in the wild, but this could easily be an escaped bird.

Thank you!

This was interesting information, never heard of such thing before. Only that they keep some birds in gardens etc. with wings that cannot be used for flying.

Kind Regards
Aladdin

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

There is a silver mutation in some whistling duck species in the ornamental waterfowl breeders community, but as far as I know not in Lesser whistling duck (and this is clearly a Lesser whistling duck as said already)...
also the silver mutations look different, just like pale version of the whistling duck species involved...

So this is probably a mutation that occurred in the wild, and a different mutation from the silver...

 

[Aladdin]

There is a silver mutation in some whistling duck species in the ornamental waterfowl breeders community, but as far as I know not in Lesser whistling duck (and this is clearly a Lesser whistling duck as said already)...
also the silver mutations look different, just like pale version of the whistling duck species involved...

So this is probably a mutation that occurred in the wild, and a different mutation from the silver...

Cheers!

I have reported the bird in eBird and I have a link to this forum as I always do when I get help from the forum.

Kind Regards
Aladdin