Ring-necked Duck x Tufted duck

This hybrid type is quite rare. This is explained by one parent species having it's natural breeding range in North America and the other is a Eurasian species. In Denmark there is only four individuals which have been acceptes as this combination of species by the rarittees commitee as beeing this hybrid type.

Apperance:
The size is similar the parent species length: 37-47 cm and wingspan: 65-72 cm.
The plumage show caracteristics of both parent species as well as plumage features not seen in any of the. Male hybrids tend to be more similar to Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) than Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula).

Adult male: Adult males of this cross show black breast, back, rump and tail just as both parent species. The flanks are a lighter tone of grey than and the extending further towards the breast than on pure Ring-necked Duck. Between the grey flank and black breast there is a thin line of white often extending in a thorn pointing towards the head and neck thus resembling the pattern seen in pure Ring-necked Duck but the white area seen in hybrids are not a broad as seen in pure Ring-necked Duck. The bill is similar to that of Ring-necked Duck being slightly larger, longer and more pointed than in Tufted duck with a large black spot on the nail and front of the bill and behind that there is a broad white band across the bill. The overall colour of the bill is lighter grey than seen in pure Ring-necked Duck and the white line running along the base of the bill in Ring-necked Duck is often missing, very thin or not running all the way around the bill. The colour of the head is black with a bottle green shine. A plumage feature not seen in any of the parent species but typical of this hybrid combination. As in many hybrids with Tufted duck there is a little quite thick “semi” tuft at the rear of the crown. The tuft is not hanging as in Tufted duck but pointing backwards up in an angle of 45°. The eye colour is orange the tone is a little warmer than seen in Tufted duck. The tail is often kept lifted in an angle of 45° as often seen done by Ring-necked Duck. The cheeks are fuller than in Tufted duck looking like a light version of the “apple cheeks” of Ring-necked Duck. Two types of wing-bars have been described one is a combination of the two parent species often being white on the secondaries as in Tufted duck and darker grey on the primaries as in Ring-necked Duck in the other type both secondaries and primaries. The legs are grey with a yellow tinge and black webbing.
As in most hybrid types many of the plumage features are varying and in some individuals the tuft might be a little longer, the flanks might lack the white stripe behind the breast and the colours of the wing band might be a little different distributed but if you see what you think is a Ring-necked Duck with green head gloss and a little tuft it is most probably a hybrid with Tufted duck.

Key plumage features: Small thick tuft, green head gloss, light grey flanks and big black spot on the front of the overall grey bill bordered by a thick white band.

Ring-necked Duck (A. collaris) x Tufted duck (A. fuligula), Adult male. Note difference in flank colour in two photos due to light and angle towards photographer. Photo: Troels Eske Ortvad. Gavnø, Denmark. February 2011. Note blue-grey Ring-necked Duck like bill with almost no white boarder at bill base, short "punk" tuft, green head gloss, light grey flank, small white area in between grey flank and and black breast and warm orange eye.

Ring-necked Duck (A. collaris) x Tufted duck (A. fuligula), Adult male. Photo by Ómar Runólfsson. May 14, 2010. Reykjavík, Iceland. Note Light blue-grey Ring-necked Duck like bill, short thick tuft pointing upwards, very light grey flank with almost no contrast to white area just behind breast.

Female (adult?): As in male hybrids the bill of female hybrids resembles a damp variation of a pure Ring-necked Duck by having a big black spot on the front with a broad white band across the bill behind. Bill shape is as in male hybrids more like Ring-necked Duck being longer and more pointed than seen in Tufted duck. Head shape is intermediate between the parent species being less square than Tufted duck with a slight peaked rear crown at the back of the head resembling the hump seen in Ring-necked Duck. The colour of the head is intermediate between the two parent species being darker than Ring-necked Duck and lighter than Tufted duck. It has a lighter cheek resembling head pattern of female Ring-necked Duck and it lacks the brilding of the latter species. In the front of the head just behind the bill there is a relatively slim white line like the one seen in Ring-necked Duck females. Both females of Tufted- and Ring-necked Duck show dark brown back and lighter brown flanks this is also seen in the hybrid. The colour of the breast is somewhat intermediate being lighter brown than the back and darker than the flank. The eye colour is milk chocolate brown slightly lighter than seen in Ring-necked Duck. The belly is white and the legs are grey with a yellow tinge with and black webbing.

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) x Tufted duck (A. fuligula) female. Photo by: Sveinn Jónsson. Reykjavík, Iceland. March 25, 2010. Note light blue-grey Ring-necked Duck like bill and intermediate head shape and lack of brilding.

Ring-necked Duck (A. collaris) x Tufted duck (A. fuligula) female hybrid (left), male hybrid (upper right). With Tufted duck male and female (the two middle birds) and Ring-necked Duck male (lower right). Photo by Ómar Runólfsson. May 14, 2010. Reykjavík, Iceland. This picture allow the wiewer to compare both male and female hybridst to pure male and female Tufted duck and male Ring-necked Duck. Note that the female hybrid show lack of brilding, light blue-grey Ring-necked Duck like bill, head shape near to that of Ring-necked Duck, lighter brown colour on flank, breast aand back compared to the female Tufted duck standing behind and light patch on the cheek. The male hybrid show small tuft light blue-grey Ring-necked Duck like bill with less white than the pure male standing in front and very light grey flank.

Ring-necked Duck (A. collaris) male, and hybrid Ring-necked Duck (A. collaris) x Tufted Duck (A. fuligula) female
Photo by: Gunnlaugur Sigurjónsson. Elliðaárstífla, Reykjavík Iceland. March 20, 2010. Note blue-greyRing-necked Duck like bill, lack of brilding, intermediate head shape, light cheek and intermediate body colour and head shape.