Northern Pintail x Red-crested Pochard

Northern Pintail x Red-crested Pochard hybrid, Valley Road Washlands, Nottingham (Nottinghamshire, UK), 11th March 2015 - copyright Chris Jackson

(photo ID: 2156)

It's reassuring when faced with a tricky hybrid duck when two people reach the same conclusion independently.  I saw these photos when Nick Crouch (@notbirdingnick) posted them on Twitter.  Pintail x Red-crested Pochard wasn't my first thought at all, but it's always worth flicking through the pages of the Gillham books when faced with an unfamiliar hybrid duck, and when I did so I came across a very similar bird, a Pintail x Red-crested Pochard.  I hadn't noticed the orange on the crown in Chris's photos but looking back at them I realised it did show.  I hadn't realised Nick had blogged about it too, and tentatively reached exactly the same conclusion.

And now Joern has added his weight to the ID too, based on his greater experience:

"A typical example of this cross in my opinion.  I have seen photos of at least 8 male birds of this cross (from France, from Switzerland, from Moscow, from UK), half of them with known captive origin.  Note that the brown of the head is variable, in most birds I have seen closer to Northern Pintail, but some appear more reddish, closer to Red-crested Pochard.  One bird had a marked pale area in the middle of the breast reaching upwads to the front of the neck but the sides of the breast were dark - this appeared as if the white breast of pintail came through.  All birds had a bill pattern closer to Northern pintail but the black was some more extended and below the blue-grey some red was coming through in the bill base or in the bill tip or both."

Northern Pintail x Red-crested Pochard hybrid (same bird as in photo ID 2156 above), Valley Road Washlands, Nottingham (Nottinghamshire, UK), 11th March 2015 - copyright Chris Jackson

(photo ID: 2157)

Northern Pintail Anas acuta
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina

Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck

Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid, Pontefract Park, Pontefract (West Yorkshire, UK), 14th February 2017 - copyright Philip Ridsdale

(photo ID: 3078)

This is a very striking hybrid when seen in good light, though I guess could be overlooked among Tufted Ducks if not seen so well.  The strong orange tones to the crown feathers are distinctive (though not very dissimilar to those of a Ferruginous Duck x Tufted Duck hybrid), the back is not jet black and the bill is pinkish.  Like Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrids the rear border of the black breast is sloped down towards the rear of the duck as it is on Red-crested Pochard.

Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid (with Tufted Ducks; same bird as in photo ID 3078 above), Pontefract Park, Pontefract (West Yorkshire, UK), 14th February 2017 - copyright Philip Ridsdale

(photo IDs: 3079-3081)

Joern Lehmhus has written about this hybrid in the German magazine Aves.  The text is in German but non-German speakers may still be interested as it's accompanied by a couple of photos of Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrids.  You can access the PDF of Aves 4 (2013) - the article starts on page 21 with section 2.4 on this hybrid beginning at page 25 - the two photos captioned "Reiherente x Kolbenente" are Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrids.



Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

Red-crested Pochard x Rosy-billed Pochard

No photos here yet for this hybrid, but Joern Lehmhus has written about them in the German magazine Aves.  The text is in German but non-German speakers may still be interested as it's accompanied by a couple of photos of Red-crested Pochard x Rosy-billed Pochard hybrids.  You can access the PDF of Aves 4 (2013) - the article starts on page 21 with section 2.5 on this hybrid beginning at page 25 - the five photos captioned "Peposakaente x Kolbenente" are Red-crested Pochard x Rosy-billed Pochard hybrids (and I think the sixth one captioned "Wahrscheinliche Rückkreuzung eines Hybriden Peposakaente x Kolbenente mit der Kolbenente" translates to "probable backcrossed hybrid (Red-crested Pochard x Rosy-billed Pochard) x Red-crested Pochard)".


If you have any photos of this or other hybrids that you would be happy for us to use here, please get in touch (either leave a comment or email).


Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Rosy-billed Pochard Netta peposaca

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrid, Botshol (The Netherlands), March 2016 - copyright Roy Slaterus

(photo ID: 2741)

I suppose this smart hybrid could be overlooked among Pochards given a cursory look, but on closer inspection the identity is clear.  The bill shape and head shape recall Red-crested Pochard while there is a hint of the red bill colour and orange head colour (especially on the crown).  And the smooth grey upperparts contrasting with the whitish-grey flanks are unlike those of Common Pochard.  The angle of the rear edge of the breast seems intermediate.  Note that both this bird and the next one show a diffuse but distinctly paler area on the upper scapulars.  To me this looks almost like a reflection giving it a metallic look, but maybe that is only in photos?

Dean tells us that the next bird was present for just one day among an influx of Common Pochard, normally a scarce bird at this site.  When he first saw it asleep among the Pochard he noticed its slightly larger size, that it was sitting higher in the water and had a darker mantle.  I can imagine thoughts of vagrant Redhead whizzing through Dean's head but he was quick to realise that there was a less salubrious (but equally interesting) explanation.  With better views and sustained observation Dean noted the following:

• Bulkier than Pochard; bigger more rounded head with steep forehead and with rounded rear crown;
• Bill was mainly pale red/pink with a dark nail and dark base, closer in shape to Red-crested Pochard;
• In flight (see photo ID 2636 below) the large and broad white wing bars are very conspicuous compared to the Pochards, also white leading edge and scapulars; underwing was very white;
• Darker grey/brown mantle contrasting strongly with white flanks; the mantle was also paler directly behind the neck where drake Red-crested Pochards have a small white patch;
• Subtly paler brown (with orange tint) head more obvious in the field than the photos depict;
• The black breast was similar to Pochard but in direct comparison was slightly more extensive running back on to the flanks slightly further, especially at the bottom near the water line.  

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrid (with Common Pochards), Fillingham Lake (Lincolnshire, UK), 18th February 2014 - copyright Dean Nicholson

(photo IDs: 2625-2636)

The next one was found by Lars Michael Nielson and was believed to be the first such hybrid to be seen in Denmark.

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrid, Lake Roegboelle, Lolland (Denmark), 2nd October 2005 - copyright Rasmus Strack

(photo ID: 0898)

Although there is no red apparent in the bill the next bird is very similar to Dean's above.

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrid (with Tufted Ducks), Biddinghuizen (Flevoland, Netherlands), 18th January 2015 - copyright Diederik Kok

(photo IDs: 3013-3014)

I presume this is the same bird:

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrid (with Tufted Duck), Biddinghuizen (Flevoland, Netherlands), 11th January 2015 - copyright Diederik Kok

(photo ID: 3015)

The next bird is quite similar apart from some brown feathers in the flanks but it has distinct reddish tones to the bill.

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrid (with Common Pochards and Tufted Ducks), Veluvemeer (Flevoland, Netherlands), 21st December 2014 - copyright Diederik Kok

(photo IDs: 3016-3021)

One more from the UK...

Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrid, JCB Lakes, Rocester (Staffordshire, UK), 11th April 2017 - copyright Philip Ridsdale

(photo IDs: 3197-3199)

Joern Lehmhus has written about Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrids in the German magazine Aves. The text is in German but non-German speakers may still be interested as it's accompanied by a couple of photos of Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrids.  You can access the PDF of Aves 4 (2013) - the article starts on page 21 with section 2.3 on this hybrid beginning at page 24 - the two photos captioned "Tafelente x Kolbenente" are Red-crested Pochard x Common Pochard hybrids.



Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Common Pochard Aythya ferina

Red-crested Pochard x Greater Scaup

captive possible Red-crested Pochard x Greater Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 9th November 2013 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo ID: 0399)

That Red-crested Pochard is one parent of this bird seems fairly clear but the identity of its second parent is much more difficult to determine.  If we assume the second parent was a pure species then Greater Scaup seems the most likely bet (these used to be present in the collection, though not at the time I first saw this hybrid).  However another possibility is that the second parent was a different Aythya hybrid that has been in the collection for some time - that bird's identity is not fully resolved but it may well be a Ferruginous Duck x Greater Scaup hybrid, making this bird a Red-crested Pochard x (Ferruginous Duck x Greater Scaup) trigen.

captive possible Red-crested Pochard x Greater Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 9th November 2013 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0400-0408)

 captive possible Red-crested Pochard x Greater Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 24th November 2013 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0409-0411)

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
Greater Scaup Aythya marila

Red-crested Pochard x Ferruginous Duck

Red-crested Pochard x Ferruginous Duck hybrid (with Red-crested Pochards), Waghäusel (southern Germany), 1st April 2007 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo ID: 0851)

Joern tells us that there were 3 such drakes at this nature reserve resulting from a pairing some years ago.

Red-crested Pochard x Ferruginous Duck hybrid (with Red-crested Pochards), Waghäusel (southern Germany), 1st April 2007 - copyright Joern Lehmhus

(photo IDs: 0852-0853)

Joern has written about this hybrid in the German magazine Aves.  The text is in German but non-German speakers may still be interested as it's accompanied by a number of photos of different Red-crested Pochard x Ferruginous Duck hybrids.  You can access the PDF of Aves 4 (2013) - the article starts on page 21 with section 2.2 on this hybrid beginning at page 23 - the three photos captioned "Kolbenente x Moorente" are Red-crested Pochard x Ferruginous Duck hybrids.


Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca

Mallard x Red-crested Pochard

Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrid, St James's Park (Greater London, UK), 23rd March 2006 - copyright David Darrell-Lambert

(photo ID: 2687)

Several photos of this type of hybrid on the internet appear to show a mixture of male and female characteristics and are believed to be intersex. Here is one which has predominantly female-like plumage but shows a distinct purple sheen on the head, a feature shown by other similar birds too.  This would not normally be expected on a female bird, so is it evidence that it is intersex?  We presume so, but it needs further study.

Some, like the next bird, have little or no suggestion of female plumage but the bill pattern is female-like with its dark base. It seems that with intersex ducks the bill becomes male-like more slowly than the plumage, so intersex is still a possible explanation, but I am not sure... can it be that some males of this hybrid have a bill like this?

The pale body and wings of this one are probably a sign that the two parents were not a typical wild-type Mallard and a typical Red-crested Pochard. Many Red-crested Pochards in captivity are leucistic, so this may be the source of the pallour, but the Mallard-like elements bear a striking resemblance to Saxony-type domestic Mallards (of which there were several on the same lake) and I suspect this is more likely the cause.

Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrid, Cleethorpes Boating Lake (Lincolnshire, UK), 7th April 2012 - copyright Dave Appleton

(photo IDs: 0373-0377)

The next one is more clearly female.  It was at a site that is frequented by large numbers of birds released for shooting and that may well be its origin.

Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrid, Leathes Ham, Lowestoft (Suffolk, UK), 31st January 2009 - copyright Andrew Easton

(photo IDs: 2065-2067)

Here's another one which as Andy points out, seems to show a mixture of male Mallard and female Red-crested Pochard features.  Another intersex?

Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrid, Nicholas Everitt Park, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft (Suffolk, UK), 3rd March 2012 - copyright Andrew Easton

(photo IDs: 2038-2040)

When the first photos of the next bird appeared I didn't think the bill was a good match for this hybrid and wondered if Red-billed Teal might be involved, though others felt that Red-crested Pochard was involved.  However when Michael tweeted the photo of it standing I realised the others were right.  Perhaps not a typical example, but Mallard x Red-crested Pochard seems to be the best fit.

probable Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrid, Seamer Road Mere, Scarborough (North Yorkshire, UK), 1st April 2016 - copyright Michael McNaghten

(photo ID: 2793)

probable Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrid (same bird as in photo ID 2793 above), Seamer Road Mere, Scarborough (North Yorkshire, UK), 5th April 2016 - copyright Michael McNaghten

(photo ID: 2792)

Joern Lehmhus has written an article for the German magazine Aves about this hybrid.  The text is in German but non-German speakers may still be interested as it's accompanied by a number of photos of different Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrids.  You can access the PDF of Aves 4 (2013) - scroll down to page 21 - the eight photos captioned "Stockente x Kolbenente" are Mallard x Red-crested Pochard hybrids (I think the sixth one captioned möglicher Hybrid Stockente x Kolbenente" translates to possible hybrid Mallard x Red-crested Pochard).



Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina