Chiloe Wigeon x Cape Teal

probable Chiloe Wigeon x Cape Teal hybrid, Trittiford Park (West Midlands, UK), 3rd March 2016 - copyright Jenny Renowden

(photo ID: 2742)

One parent of this hybrid seems easier to resolve than the other, though arguably is not the only possibility.  The reddish pink colour on the bill extends well down the bill suggesting a species with a mainly red bill, and Cape Teal fits that bill.  There are other red-billed species, and some Wigeon hybrids are known to show a pinkish bill, but the general appearance of this bird recalls Cape Teal a bit, so that seems a good starting point.  The shape of the bill, quite flattened near the tip, also fits Cape Teal, as does the black base of the bill (although the latter could come from the other parent).  Cape Teal also shows black along the edge of the bill in the distal third, like this bird, and that for me is the clincher.

But Cape Teal doesn't have so much black on the nail, it doesn't have the dark patch round the eye (the eye itself would be pale too) and it is a greyer bird overall.  A number of people have suggested a Wigeon species as the second parent, and that was my idea too.  The dark patch round the eye on an otherwise fairly plain head suggests this, as do the white tertial edges.  But which Wigeon?  Neither Eurasian nor American Wigeon have so much dark extending above the eye to the top of the head, but Chiloe Wigeon does.  The flanks are a bit orangey, which supports Chiloe Wigeon.  I wondered if such a plain bird could be produced from a Chiloe Wigeon, that being such a striking species even in female plumage, but Joern has confirmed that it can.  And what's more he tells us that there have been examples of Chiloe Wigeon x Cape Teal seen in the UK that have looked much like this.

Apparently Chiloe Wigeon x White-cheeked Pintail can also look surprisingly similar to this, so it would be helpful to get a view of the wing pattern to be 100% sure, but for now it seems very likely indeed that this is a Chiloe Wigeon x Cape Teal hybrid.



Chiloe Wigeon Anas sibilatrix
Cape Teal Anas capensis

American Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon

possible American Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid, Paderborn (Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany), 4th November 2012 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo ID: 1654)

Or as Joern described it himself, unusual American Wigeon, probably with Chiloe Wigeon genes.  Perhaps that's a better way of describing it as what this probably isn't is a first-generation hybrid offspring of a pairing between an American Wigeon and a Chiloe Wigeon.  If we're right in thinking Chiloe Wigeon genes are present, you will probably have to go further back than one generation to find the Chiloe Wigeon ancestor.  It looks too much like an American Wigeon.

Wrong for pure American Wigeon, I think, is the head pattern.  On American Wigeon the pale cream stripe extends from the forehead back to the centre of the crown, further back than on this bird.  It also lacks the warm orangey tones that seem to be present on this bird.  Other than that the bird is very close to American Wigeon, although a further discrepancy I think I can detect in one or two of the photos is pale whitish edges to some of the long scapulars.  That's a feature that could indeed point to Chiloe Wigeon influence.

possible American Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid (same bird as in photo ID 1654 above), Paderborn (Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany), 4th November 2012 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo IDs: 1655-1658)

American Wigeon Anas americana
Chiloe Wigeon Anas sibilatrix

Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon

captive Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid, Pensthorpe (Norfolk, UK), 9th March 2014 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo ID: 1547)

Reports of vagrant American Wigeons in western Europe often turn out to be misidentified hybrids, and this is one example of a hybrid that shows a superficial resemblance to American Wigeon, although the careful observer will note a number of differences.

The first bird shows a little orange colouration on the flanks but not so much as this hybrid sometimes shows.  However it does show barring on the breast which is a feature inherited from Chiloe Wigeon and often a useful feature to separate this hybrid from Eurasian x American Wigeon.  There were other Eurasian Wigeon present in the collection but I didn't see any Chiloe or American Wigeon.

captive Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid (same bird as in photo ID 1547 above), Pensthorpe (Norfolk, UK), 9th March 2014 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 1548-1551)

The next bird was with the last one in the same collection, presumably a female.

captive Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid, Pensthorpe (Norfolk, UK), 9th March 2014 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 1552-1554)

The next birds also show some orange on the sides, barring on the breast and also pale-edged (dark-centred) scapulars which is also a Chiloe feature.  Joern has also pointed out some other Chiloe features on the male, namely the dark on the crown and the white under the tail.  Thre greyish element on the flanks and the cold grey upperparts are pointers towards Eurasian Wigeon rather than American for the other parent.  A female on its own would be harder.

Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrids, near Hitchin (Hertfordshire, UK), 14th April 2015 - copyright Steve Graby

(photo IDs: 2267-2272)

Joern's photos of another captive pair of hybrids are shown below, but as he wasn't able to get good close-up photos he has also provided his illustrations.

captive Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid, Karlsruhe Zoo (Germany), 16th January 2010 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(plate IDs: 0725-0726)

captive Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid, Karlsruhe Zoo (Germany), 16th January 2010 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo IDs: 0727-0732)

The next bird has a very broad green head band which is probably indicative of Chiloe Wigeon influence and the orange sides are certainly consistent with that.  As always it is hard to be 100% certain about the exact parentage of Wigeon hybrids.

probable Eurasian Wigeon x Chiloe Wigeon hybrid, Natuurplas Breeveld, Woerden (Netherlands), 11th December 2016 - copyright Diederik Kok

(photo IDs: 3007-3008)

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
Chiloe Wigeon Anas sibilatrix