Shoveler (Northern Shoveler) x Blue-winged Teal Anas clypeata x Anas discors

This hybrid is sometimes found in North America where both species occur, but vagrant (and escaped) Blue-winged Teals in Europe seem to enjoy the company of Shovelers, so they occasionally crop up here too.

This individual spent a few months at Titchwell. Its appearance was extremely similar to Australasian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis, a photograph of which appears beside it for comparison.

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male Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal hybrid, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 7th April 2001

captive male Australasian Shoveler for comparison, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 18th January 2004

The next bird was in captivity. I have seen it several times now and have gone back and forth in my mind as to its identity - whether it is a pure Blue-winged Teal or a hybrid. Also in the collection were Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal drakes (the latter a first-winter in late 2015, as were many of the birds in this recently re-stocked collection) and female ducks resembling Cinnamon Teal and Blue-winged Teal (although I do not usually see the latter, perhaps indicating some confusion with this bird). At times the putative hybrid has kept company with the drake Blue-winged Teal but on my last visit it was keeping close company with a drake Mandarin!

Its bill is less spatulate than Blue-winged Teal x Shoveler hybrids can be, but different views sem to give different impressions of how spatulate it actually is. Similarly the extent of pale orangey-pink visible at the base of the bill (mainly the lower mandible) seems to vary. I'm not sure why this should be - must be something to do with viewing conditions and angle as I don't suppose it is actually changing. Anyhow, this does lead me to be less than 100% certain that I have been watching and photographing the same bird each time, adding to my confusion.

Opinions are welcome!

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captive female Blue-winged Teal or Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 7th Decemnber 2015

 

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captive female Blue-winged Teal or Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 23rd Decemnber 2015

 

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captive female Blue-winged Teal or Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 26th October 2016

 

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captive female Blue-winged Teal or Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 3rd December 2016

 

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captive female Blue-winged Teal or Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 18th January 2017