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Monday, November 14, 2011

Female-type Ferruginous Duck X Pochard

On friday the 11.th of November 2011, Johnny Madsen found what at first looked like a Ferruginous Duck, in a small pond near Stege, 75 km south of Copenhagen.
Johnny send a few photos to WWW.Netfugl.dk where it quickly was identified as a hybrid. I saw the bird on sunday, and was honestly surprised about the bird´s appearance.
When the bird first was seen, it was observed in a distance about 200 meters in poorly foggy morninglight, and then looked like a genuine Ferruginous Duck. When the bird later swam against me it transformed into a hybrid.

Female-type Ferruginous Duck X Pochard, note the bill-shape and size. On a Ferruginous Duck the bill seems slim, long and not as broad as on this bird. The bill pattern is also a indication of Pochard influence, it has a broad black bill-tip, with a silver-grey marking on a overall dark bill.

Female-type Ferruginous Duck X Pochard, note the breast on the bird, the colour is clearly darker than head and flanks. in some angles it allmost seemed blackish.

Female-type Ferruginous Duck X Pochard, the bill is the key to the id of the bird, note that the lower mandible is convex, on Ferruginous Duck it´s straight.


Female-type Ferruginous Duck X Pochard, note how pale the bird is, it is only the head that seems redishbrown, the rest of the bird is almost without gloss.

All videos is of the same bird.