Hybrid Ducks (gobirding.eu)

Hybrid Ducks

Ducks hybridise readily, both in captivity and among wild populations. Identifying hybrids is fraught with difficulties. Not only are they highly variable but they do not always simply show a mix of each parent species' features. Indeed there are instances of hybrids bearing a more striking resemblance to a third species than to either of their two parent species.

The following hybrid combinations are discussed below (click on any to go straight there or scroll down):

Mallard x Egyptian Goose
Australian Shelduck x Ruddy Shelduck
Mallard x Muscovy Duck
(Eurasian) Wigeon x Gadwall
(Eurasian) Teal x Green-winged Teal
domestic Mallard x Yellow-billed Duck
Spot-billed Duck x Mallard
(Northern) Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal
Unknown hybrid - possibly Silver Teal x ??
Ferruginous Duck x ? Red Shoveler
Pochard x Ferruginous Duck
Ferruginous Duck x Scaup
Ferruginous Duck x TuftedDuck
Pochard x Tufted Duck
Hooded Merganser x Smew
'Ginger' Laysan Duck

** If you've reached this page because you're looking to identify an unfamiliar duck that you suspect may be a hybrid or cross-breed then I suggest checking the note at the bottom of this page.

Mallard x Egyptian Goose

An unusual combination: this party of four birds was present at Swanton Morley from late August to late September 2007. There appear to be very few documented records of this hybrid.


4 Mallard x Egyptian Goose hybrids, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 27th August 2007





Mallard x Egyptian Geese (with a Ruddy Shelduck in top picture), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 1st September 2007

Mallard x Egyptian Geese, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 21st September 2007

Two birds reappeared the following February, presumably two of the same four although by this time one of them had a completely dark head:



Mallard x Egyptian Geese, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 23rd February 2008

Mallard x Egyptian Goose, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 24th March 2008	Mallard x Egyptian Goose, Bylaugh (Norfolk, UK), 13th July 2008



Mallard x Egyptian Geese, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 9th August 2008 (upper 2 in this set are one bird, lower 4 another; I am not certain if these are the same ones that I've been seeing intermittently here and nearby at Bylaugh since February - I haven't seen all 4 together since last September)

Mallard x Egyptian Geese, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 20th September 2008	Mallard x Egyptian Geese, Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 16th August 2008

Mallard x Egyptian Geese, 27th December 2008

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Australian Shelduck x Ruddy Shelduck

Shelduck hybrids occur often in captivity and sometimes also in the wild (where Ruddy Shelduck x Common Shelduck is probably most frequent). Many are difficult to identify with certainty but in the following captive bird the extensive orange plumage points to Ruddy Shelduck or Cape Shelduck as one parent, and the orange tones on the head suggest Ruddy over Cape. Although some Ruddy Shelduck x Common Shelduck hybrids have grey vermiculated body feathers the darkness of this one suggested either Paradise Shelduck or Australian Shelduck. The contrastingly clean orange breast is probably indicative of Australian rather than Paradise and the fact that a single male Australian Shelduck was in the same collection (along with several of both Ruddy and Cape Shelducks) lends weight to this theory.





captive presumed Australian Shelduck x Ruddy Shelduck hybrid (with Ruddy Shelduck), Grange-over-Sands (Cumbria, UK), 28th December 2011

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Mallard x Muscovy Duck

Domestic Muscovy Ducks often hybridise with Mallards (themselves frequently domestic). Personally I've rarely encountered them in the flesh until recently, but there is an abundance of photos on the internet. Many are obvious but I'd overlooked the first one as a domestic variant of Mallard until Joern pointed it out.


Probable domestic Mallard x domestic Muscovy Duck hybrid, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 16th February 2008


three domestic Mallard x domestic Muscovy Duck hybrids, Tattersett (Norfolk, UK), 9th March 2011


domestic Mallard x domestic Muscovy Duck hybrids, Tattersett (Norfolk, UK), 20th April 2011 (presumably two of the birds from above)

It was really only the pink bill that made me think this next bird was a hybrid, as opposed to a pure domestic Mallard, though the short legged appearance perhaps supports the hybrid theory. It's unusual for domestic Mallards to show the pink bills displayed by this bird and some of the ducklings, but Carl-Gunnar has sent me images of birds that do, so it is possible. Moreover female Muscovy x Mallard hybrids are said to be infertile which makes it more unlikely that the ducklings belonged to the adult if it was a hybrid - and yet some of them share the pink-billed characteristic. So in the end I think it's probably just a domestic Mallard, but I shall leave it here for now as there's still an element of doubt.



Probably just domestic Mallards, but perhaps domestic Mallard x domestic Muscovy Duck hybrid with ducklings presumably backcrossed with domestic Mallards, Porthloo Duckpond St Mary's (Scilly, UK), 6th August 2010

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(Eurasian) Wigeon x Gadwall

A surprisingly scarce hybrid:





Wigeon x Gadwall hybrid, Whitlingham CP (Norfolk, UK), 6th March 2011

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(Eurasian) Teal x Green-winged Teal

Hybrids between the North American Green-winged Teal and its Eurasian counterpart are occasionally found in either region. Some show the prominent white vertical bar of Green-winged Teal as well as the prominent white horizontal stripe of Eurasian Teal whilst others, like this one, show a much weaker vertical bar and others can apparently be even more cryptic.


Hybrid (Eurasian) Teal x Green-winged Teal, Salthouse (Norfolk, UK), 10th February 2008

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Domestic Mallard x Yellow-billed Duck

These two ducks almost certainly emanate from captivity as they shared a duckpond with a variety of escaped (or deliberately released) ducks. The first one resembles a Yellow-billed Duck but several inconsistencies including the green on the head and the curled tail feathers indicate some Mallard influence. The pale colouration of the second bird suggests that the Mallard influence was of domestic stock, which is not surprising given the number of domestic birds sharing the pond.



domestic Mallard x Yellow-billed Duck hybrids, Porthloo Duckpond, St Mary's (Scilly, UK), 3rd October 2007

A return visit to Scillies three years later found a similar, but not identical, pair elsewhere on the same island. The bill was more strongly orange, rather than yellow, and they lacked green on the head. I'm not sure I'd reach this conclusion if it wasn't for the birds seen in 2007 but the coincidence leads me to think these may be the same hybrid? The orangey bills and the straight tail feathers make me wonder if these are females whereas one of the birds above was clearly a male.



presumed domestic Mallard x Yellow-billed Duck hybrids, Porth Hellick, St Mary's (Scilly, UK), 9th August 2010

Meanwhile the original duckpond where the first pair had been observed in 2007 now contained a number of domestic ducks and this peculiar bird. Could it be a backcross between one of the original hybrids and a Mallard? Another possibility perhaps is domestic Mallard x Pintail, as on last visit there were a couple of very strange and possibly hybrid Pintails on the pond. The pink tones to the bill seem hard to explain either way. Any thoughts on any of these birds would be welcome.


possible backcrossed domestic Mallard x Yellow-billed Duck hybrid?, Porthloo Duckpond, St Mary's (Scilly, UK), 7th August 2010

possible backcrossed domestic Mallard x Yellow-billed Duck hybrid?, Porthloo Duckpond, St Mary's (Scilly, UK), 6th August 2010

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Spot-billed Duck x Mallard

I'd seen pure Spot-billed Ducks at this collection before and carelessly assumed these were the same birds - it was only when I got home and looked at the photos that I realised something wasn't quite right. For the male the extensive yellow on one bill, the curly tail feathers and the faint reddish wash on the breast point to Mallard involvement and I think the female is a hybrid too.



captive Spot-billed Duck x Mallard hybrids, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 16th April 2011

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Shoveler x Blue-winged Teal

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


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

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Unknown hybrid - possibly Silver Teal x Tufted Duck

This duck was reported on 23rd Feb as a presumed Teal x Tufted Duck. Thinking this sounded interesting I went along to see it the next day. I'm not convinced by the proposed ID but am not at all sure what it is. My initial view was that the similarities to Hottentot Teal were too great to be coincidental, but Silver Teal is also a possible parent. David Russell has kindly informed me that an escaped Silver Teal was present at the site the previous August - this may be coincidental but with little else to go on it's enough to change my speculative view. The second parent is even more speculative, though Tufted Duck is certainly a possibility I can't rule out. Other comments would be welcome. Unfortunately it was a bit too distant for decent shots; my best efforts are here with some commentary below:


hybrid duck, Cantley Beet Factory (Norfolk, UK), 24th February 2008. Most obvious feature is the pale cheeks contrasting with the dark crown (coming down round eye) and nape. Also note the Pintail-like bill, quite pale bluish grey with a dark culmen. Dark on the face at the base of the bill, bulging at the gape. One or two photos seem to show a red eye, but the quality isn't clear enough to be sure - this wasn't noticed in the field. The white trailing edge to the secondaries was sometimes visible on the closed wing.

hybrid duck, Cantley Beet Factory (Norfolk, UK), 24th February 2008. Note the rather plain dark brown back contrasting with the plain-ish paler brown flanks. The contrast always seemed stronger when the bird was facing slightly away, as in the right hand photo here. Note the curvature of this border - rather Aythya like? Tail often held flat against the water like the diving ducks but often in the air where appeared quite pointy.

hybrid duck, Cantley Beet Factory (Norfolk, UK), 24th February 2008. With Teals for size comparison - pretty much the same size - seemed a fraction larger in the field.

hybrid duck, Cantley Beet Factory (Norfolk, UK), 24th February 2008. This bird was constantly feeding. It never dived but held its head further under than most dabbling ducks tend to.

hybrid duck, Cantley Beet Factory (Norfolk, UK), 24th February 2008. Rubbish flight shots but show how conspicuous the white trailing edge to the secondaries was. Underwing appeared quite pale but precise pattern not clinched.

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Ferruginous Duck x Anas sp., perhaps Red Shoveler

This one was a captive bird; the Anas parent was uncertain but if we assume the parent was still in the same collection (which isn't the case for at least one hybrid seen there) then the most likely choice (in view of the bill shape) is Red Shoveler.


captive hybrid Ferruginous Duck x Anas sp., possibly Red Shoveler, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 28th February 2009

captive hybrid Ferruginous Duck x Anas sp., possibly Red Shoveler, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010 - presumably the same bird as shown above	captive hybrid Ferruginous Duck x Anas sp., possibly Red Shoveler, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011 - this bird stayed asleep throughout the duration of my visit and I'm not 100% certain it was the same bird as the others

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Pochard x Ferruginous Duck

This hybrid is responsible for a few erroneous claims of Ferruginous Duck in the UK - they seem to turn up here nearly as often as pure Ferruginous Ducks. Some can apparently be more similar to Redhead in appearance.





male Pochard x Ferruginous Duck hybrid, Martham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 29th November 2009




juvenile/first-winter Pochard x Ferruginous Duck hybrid (with Ferruginous Duck), Cockshoot Broad (Norfolk, UK), 12th November 2011 - the accompanying Ferruginous Duck, a long-staying bird that is resident in the Broads and may well be an escape, is assumed to be its parent. That bird usually shows a concerningly rounded head shape (though can appear more Ferruginous-like at times) and some observers consider that it may not be a pure bird

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Possible Ferruginous Duck x Scaup

Accompanying Ferruginous Duck and Scaup, I first considered that this might be a hybrid between the two species, with it's warm colour tones and white face. However the tones perhaps weren't red enough to convincingly indicate Ferruginous Duck and I wondered about Scaup x Rosbyill. However subsequent visits negated my initial impression of a large size and revealed a clear-cut white belly suggesting that Ferruginous Duck was indeed involved, although it is still not entirely certain whether this is Ferruginous Duck x Scaup or something else.



possible Ferruginous Duck x Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010


possible Ferruginous Duck x Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th February 2011



possible Ferruginous Duck x Scaup hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011

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Ferruginous Duck x Tufted Duck

This hybrid seems to be less common than Ferruginous Duck x Pochard hybrids. The appearance is pretty typical. Although not always obvious the reddish tones to the crown were present on this bird and also on other Ferruginous Duck x Tufted Duck hybrids portrayed on the internet.




male Ferruginous Duck x Tufted Duck hybrid, Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 24th December 2011


male Ferruginous Duck x Tufted Duck hybrid, Wroxham Broad (Norfolk, UK), 12th November 2011

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Pochard x Tufted Duck

Probably the commonest naturally-occurring duck hybrid in the UK.



male Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid (with Tufted Ducks), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 27th December 2008

male Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid (presumably the same as above), Swanton Morley (Norfolk, UK), 30th December 2008

male Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid, Welney (Norfolk, UK), 2nd January 2005

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Hooded Merganser x Smew

I believe this hybrid has occurred in the wild but these ones are captive. These birds (there were two the same on the first occasion, not sure if they're both here or not) didn't look exactly like other Hooded Merganser x Smew hybrids I've seen photographed before so thanks to Joern for confirming their identities. Interestingly, as time has progressed the bird seems to have changed in appearance slightly, becoming more like Hooded Merganser.


captive male Hooded Merganser x Smew hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 11th April 2009

captive male Hooded Merganser x Smew hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 26th April 2009

captive male Hooded Merganser x Smew hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 13th February 2010



captive male Hooded Merganser x Smew hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010

captive male Hooded Merganser x Smew hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th February 2011



captive male Hooded Merganser x Smew hybrid, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 15th October 2011

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Laysan Duck - 'Ginger' variant

Whilst it is not hard to see Laysan Duck influence in this bird, its appearance is so far from a normal Laysan Duck that I was convinced it must be a hybrid. Well, it transpires that it's actually a "ginger" variant of Laysan Duck that's sometimes kept in wildfowl collections. Exactly how these are produced I am not sure, but it sounds like they probably contain some Mallard blood.

Thanks to Joern for clearing up the mystery on this one, and for finding this photo of a pair of similar birds in a Scottish collection.








'Ginger' variant Laysan Duck, Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010 - such variants must surely contain some Mallard genes?


'Ginger' variant Laysan Duck (presumably with some Mallard genes), Blakeney Collection (Norfolk, UK), 12th March 2011 - the same bird as above

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Note - a lot of people land on this page when trying to identify an unfamiliar duck which they think may be a hybrid. 9 times out of 10 the bird they are looking for is in fact a domestic variant of Mallard. The various domesticated forms of Mallard, or 'breeds', were originally obtained through human-controlled selective breeding of Mallards. Many look nothing like wild Mallards in plumage, structure or size (some are huge!) Poultry and waterfowl keepers' associations have come up with appearance standards to which any domestic duck must conform in order to be accepted as one of their named breeds, and any that do not conform to one or other breed are described as impure, or "cross-breeds". However pure breed or cross breed, they're all biologically Mallards, descended from wild Mallards, and have no genetic influence from any other species. Whilst breeders, members of the public and even some birders often describe these cross-breeds as hybrids it is much better to reserve the term "hybrid" for crosses between two different species. The only domesticated ducks that are not descended from Mallards are Muscovy Ducks, and so the only domestic cross-breed that can accurately be described as a hybrid is a Mallard x Muscovy Duck hybrid. Some of those are shown above, but for domestic variants of Mallard I have a page showing some of the different variants here.

You might also be interested in...

Hybrid Geese

Domestic Ducks

Swoose (swan x goose hybrid)

Hybrid Falcons