Wood Duck x Laysan Duck or Wood Duck x Chestnut Teal

escaped possible Wood Duck x Chestnut Teal or Wood Duck x Laysan Duck hybrid, Roskilde (Denmark), 2007 - copyright Rasmus Strack

(photo ID: 0883)

The identification of this hybrid is unknown.  Wood Duck x Chestnut Teal has been suggested and at the moment we have very little to go on.  It may be the correct ID but further examples of this or other similar hybrids will probably be necessary before we can reach any clear conclusions.

Joern has unearthed a description of another example of a bird identified as Wood Duck x Chestnut Teal hybrid, along with a photo of the mounted specimen (which is unfortunately no longer available), and that one apparently looked rather different.  That might indicate that we need a different solution for this bird and one idea Joern has suggested is Wood Duck x Laysan Duck.

escaped possible Wood Duck x Chestnut Teal or Wood Duck x Laysan Duck hybrid (same bird as in photo ID 0883 above), Roskilde (Denmark), 2007 - copyright Rasmus Strack

(photo ID: 0884)

Wood Duck Aix sponsa
Laysan Duck Anas laysanensis
Chestnut Teal Anas castanea

Laysan Duck x Yellow-billed Pintail

possible Laysan Duck x Yellow-billed Pintail, River House Restaurant, Stirling (Stirlingshire, UK), 29th December 2013 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo ID: 0382)

This is another one where the ID is far from certain.  Another possibility, thanks to Joern, is Laysan Duck x Yellow-billed Teal (Speckled Teal).  The leg colour, plumage markings and hint of slightly upturned central tail feathers are suggestive of one of the Mallard group (which includes Laysan Duck) and the small size and hint of a pale eye-ring are what made me think of Laysan Duck.  That's by no means certain, which makes working out the second species even harder!

There were only six ducks on the pond and all of them were hybrids.  I don't know how they got there - perhaps they're owned by the restaurant adjacent to the pond (but then why only hybrids?), or perhaps they were released there by a wildfowl keeper who doesn't like hybrids?

possible Laysan Duck x Yellow-billed Pintail (same as in photo ID 0382 above), River House Restaurant, Stirling (Stirlingshire, UK), 29th December 2013 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0378-0381)

Laysan Duck Anas laysanensis

Yellow-billed Pintail Anas georgica

Yellow-billed Teal Anas flavirostis

Mallard x Laysan Duck

captive presumed Mallard x Laysan Duck hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo ID: 0355)

The identity of this duck remained a mystery to me until Joern Lehmhus found a photo of what were described as "ginger" variant Laysan Ducks.  Duck breeders can acquire some strange-looking birds through selective breeding but whilst I wouldn't expect a hybrid between a wild-type Mallard and a Laysan Duck to look much like this, I can't reconcile this bird's appearance with any pure Laysan Duck.  The bill colour and the curled tail feather both suggest Mallard involvement.  While it was smaller than Mallards it did not seem as small as Laysan Duck.

captive presumed Mallard x Laysan Duck hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo ID: 0356)

The following photos presumably relate to the same bird:

captive presumed Mallard x Laysan Duck hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 14th December 2010 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0348-0354)

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Laysan Duck Anas laysanensis