mysteryduck, Hiroshima Japan 1st of October (1 Viewer)

[MorphCore]

Hello there,

I´ve seen this "duck" or "goose" on the 1st of October in Hiroshima and today I went through my photos and then tried to id this bird with my birds of Japanbook. Even though I only took a picture with my mobile I thought back then that it should be easily identifiable because of the white head and neck, however I didn´t find something that would resemble it closely enough. I am thankful for any help and apologize for the meagre photo quality.
it appeared to be a rather large duck or small goose.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Not really possible to be certain from these images, but domesticated breeds of Mallard are often larger than wild individuals, and can have white heads (and other parts). The other possibility would be Muscovy, but they have prominent often reddish bills.

 

[MorphCore]

Not really possible to be certain from these images, but domesticated breeds of Mallard are often larger than wild individuals, and can have white heads (and other parts). The other possibility would be Muscovy, but they have prominent often reddish bills.

Thank you but I am quite certain that the Muscovy is out of the picture here and Mallard I cannot rule out but seems a little off with the little dark appearing bill.

 

[jogresh]

I think these are Eastern Spot Billed Ducks.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

I think these are Eastern Spot Billed Ducks.

Certainly possible; I prefer this to the Mallard theory.

 

[Bewick]

I think these are Eastern Spot Billed Ducks.

Definitely, cream coloured head/neck and the distinct white marking on on the folded wing.

 

[MacNara]

Welcome to Bird Forum, MorphCore.

This is Spot-billed Duck. This is the only resident duck in Japan, in the sense that it breeds in the same places as it winters. They breed in the early planted rice-fields and similar places.

The strong white marking on the folded wing is breeding male (see photo 2 with a breeding pair), or so I have been told.

 

[01101001]

How about a feral Chinese Goose (Swan Goose), just asking?

Chinese Goose

An escapee I guess, though I couldn't see any sign of a ring These geese always look very buoyant at the rear end, wind maybe? ;)

www.birdforum.net

white neck, pretty extensive white rump (either covered by the wing or not), short dark bill with dark knob, neck length (together with a small head), dark back colour, white rump appears raised (more so in the OP's second photo?)

EDIT: the dark area under the rump would be the biggest problem with this theory; all I can find is photos in which it's caused by shadow:

ML521810201 - Swan Goose (Domestic type) - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML521810201; © Jim Anderton; Okaloosa, Florida, United States

macaulaylibrary.org

ML100851461 - Swan Goose (Domestic type) - Macaulay Library

Macaulay Library ML100851461; © steve boyack; Maricopa, Arizona, United States

macaulaylibrary.org

EDIT 2: I believe that the way leaves (in the top left corner) reflect sunlight may or may not suggest that the sun in the photo is shining from our far left. If the photo was taken during the day (dreary as it looks) and so the sun was high enough, such a shadow pattern could've possibly been created?

 

[Butty]

pretty extensive white rump . . . white rump appears raised . . . dark area under the rump

In ducks and geese at rest, the rump isn't normally visible at all. In your linked deformed geese you're looking at undertail-coverts/vent. (OP's birds don't strike me as any sort of geese; spot-billed duck fits well.)

 

[MorphCore]

thank you everybody

 

[WalterRayle]

They look a bit like what I always knew as 'Chinese Swan Goose' to me

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Hello there,

I´ve seen this "duck" or "goose" on the 1st of October in Hiroshima and today I went through my photos and then tried to id this bird with my birds of Japanbook. Even though I only took a picture with my mobile I thought back then that it should be easily identifiable because of the white head and neck, however I didn´t find something that would resemble it closely enough. I am thankful for any help and apologize for the meagre photo quality.
it appeared to be a rather large duck or small goose.

Couldn't those two (even if the quality of the Photos doesn't help much) be Cotton Pygmy-geese Nettapus coromandelianus (a k a Cotton Teal), possibly juveniles ... ?

Even if (spontainously) Wild ones are rare in Japan, they're not that uncommon in 'Parks' and 'Gardens' (as could be the case in your photos). Compare with the Photos here.

I strongly doubt that any Spot-billed Duck/s would turn out that pale (in front) on any photo, nor does it look like any Swan/s, or larger Swan Geese (at least not to me). But the white (upper) rump does indeed disturb me ...

Either way, it's just an idea, a suggestion.

Thus, take it for whatever it's worth (if anything at all).

Björn

 

[MacNara]

Couldn't those two (even if the quality of the Photos doesn't help much) be Cotton Pygmy-geese Nettapus coromandelianus (a k a Cotton Teal), possibly juveniles ...

Even if (spontaneously) wild ones are rare in Japan, they're not that uncommon in 'Parks' and 'Gardens' (as could be the case in your photos). Compare with the Photos here.

Is this a comment about Japan? Having lived here for over forty years, I have never seen a Cotton Pygmy Goose in any park or garden or anywhere else. I can't say there aren't any at all, but if there are, they are definitely 'uncommon'.

I strongly doubt that any Spot-billed Duck/s would turn out that pale (in front) on any photo, nor does it look like any Swan/s, or larger Swan Geese (at least not to me). But the white (upper) rump does indeed disturb me ...

Given the distance of the birds, and the quality of the photos, I find any strong judgement on the extreme paleness or whatever of parts to be an excess of judgement.

I'll try again: can't you see that the birds below, especially the one on the far right would look that pale on a distant, over-exposed and low quality photo. And can you not see that the white 'rump' isn't the rump but the folded wing?

Of course, it doesn't really matter: Spot-billed Duck is the straightforward answer for the location, but the original photo is of such a quality that if it isn't that obvious answer then it is unidentifiable.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

MacNara, I'll take your word for it (I've only been to Japan once).

Like I wrote: "..., take it for whatever it's worth (if anything at all)."

Apparently nothing.

/B

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

well, when I was in china a few years ago, I produced some remarkably similar bad photos of eastern spotbills with similar distribution of white /pale areas- so I also think thats what your birds are ....

 

[HouseCrow]

The birds look fine for Eastern Spot-billed to me, technically you could argue that the info is not enough to make them acceptable as ESB... but unless i would be a validator, I would gladly accept it as an example of a standard duck in Japan.

I don't see why the angry tone (again) is needed here... People make suggestions using their own usual environment as a reference. And it is not so odd that correct answers get overlooked in the mist of answers. People that do not know the answer to a question, often do not recognize the good answer when they wade past it.

As a sidenote: could you maybe have a look at your tone please MacNara? I am hesitantly overcoming your very unfriendly 'attack' on my posts, but this makes it seem it is not just me you are angry with or about.

cheers,
Gerben

 

[MacNara]

The birds look fine for Eastern Spot-billed to me, technically you could argue that the info is not enough to make them acceptable as ESB... but unless i would be a validator, I would gladly accept it as an example of a standard duck in Japan.

I don't see why the angry tone (again) is needed here... People make suggestions using their own usual environment as a reference. And it is not so odd that correct answers get overlooked in the mist of answers. People that do not know the answer to a question, often do not recognize the good answer when they wade past it.

As a sidenote: could you maybe have a look at your tone please MacNara? I am hesitantly overcoming your very unfriendly 'attack' on my posts, but this makes it seem it is not just me you are angry with or about.

cheers,
Gerben

I apologise.

I didn't think that my tone was angry in post #13 above. I was just surprised to see this thread come to life again.

But I'm sorry for having been unfriendly in some replies to you and others in the past.