Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca x Greater Scaup Aythya marila hybrid

I saw this bird on a number of occasions and struggled with its ID. When I first saw it it was with a Ferruginous Duck and a Greater Scaup and I suspected that it could be a hybrid between these two species, showing rich mahogany tones to the plumage which could come from Ferruginous Duck (but are not so strong to be certainly so) and a white patch round the bill suggestive of Scaup. I've come up with various other ideas in the meantime but, with some help from Joern who has always favoured that ID, I am now back where I started. The bird is bulky and broad-bodied - for a while that made me wonder if a Netta species could be involved (Rosy-billed Pochard have been kept there as well as Red-crested Pochard) but this is probably more likely to have come from Greater Scaup.

captive Ferruginous Duck x Greater Scaup hybrid (with Greater Scaup and Ferruginous Duck), Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010

captive Ferruginous Duck x Greater Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th February 2011

captive Ferruginous Duck x Greater Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011

captive Ferruginous Duck x Greater Scaup hybrid (with Eurasian Wigeons), Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 1st December 2012

captive Ferruginous Duck x Greater Scaup hybrid (with Common Moorhen and Mallard), Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 24th November 2013

For comparison, here are photos of the parent species.

Ferruginous Duck, Granelli (Sicily, Italy), 1st May 2012 and Greater Scaup, Loch Ryan (Dumfries & Galloway, UK), 16th February 2024

For more photos of these species follow the links below:

• Ferruginous Duck
• Greater Scaup