Scaup x Tufted Duck Aythya ferina x Anas fuligula

Here is a bird that I presume to be Scaup x Tufted Duck, although I am not certain. I quite often see photos of Tufted Ducks which have white round the bill and on which the tuft is not visible, and these are reported as perhaps being hybrids with Scaup. In reality the white around the bill is just part of the normal variation in Tufted Duck and the tuft is lying flat so that it is not showing.

The bird shown below differed from these birds in that I got a good clear look at the head over a period of time and its feathers were ruffled and raised sufficiently for me to establish that it certainly did not have an elongated tuft, rather than this simply not being visible. Moreover the structure seemed quite Scaup-like, although it was as small as a Tufted Duck. At some angles the upperparts and flanks seemed to lack any grey feathering (although they were paler than on the accompanying Tufted Ducks) but at some angles there seemed to be a distinct greyish tone to upperparts and flanks. Some photos seem to hint at an extensive dark tip to the bill as on Tufted Duck but in the field this seemed to be lacking - it certainly was not as obvious as it often is on Tufted Duck.

Unfortunately poor light, my longest lens being away for repairs and my general lack of technical skill mean that the photos I took are all quite poor. Here they are anyway:

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probable female Scaup x Tufted Duck hybrid (with Pochards and Tufted Ducks), Salhouse Broad (Norfolk, UK), 1st January 2013