Hi everyone, I thought I’d chime in with a few reasons why this teal is a hybrid. I have only seen photos of this bird, but do spend a fair amount of time looking at ducks particularly in transitional plumage. There are several features that simply aren’t ever shown by Cinnamon Teal and are diagnostic for a hybrid. I expect someone who has seen the bird and looked carefully at transitional Cinnamon Teal will also be able to chime in with more reasons, but here are a few of the more easily seen features. Tim Lenz’s eBird checklist has some diagnostic photos, and I think Tim first identified this as a hybrid.
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25670501 1. The amount of white (or pale coloration) where the flanks meet the rump isn’t shown by any plumage of Cinnamon Teal. I have not seen a “Cinnamon Teal” with the white here (recalling Blue-winged Teal) that wasn't a hybrid. In my experience, this is one of the best thing to look for when scanning through flocks of Cinnamon Teal when you are trying to find a hybrid. 2. Spotting on sides. There isn't a transitional plumage of Cinnamon Teal that shows spotting on the sides consistent with this bird. Eclipse Cinnamon Teal have bars or other intricate markings, but not spots. Several images of this bird, show well defined spots that are typical of hybrids (and a dominant Blue-winged Teal trait). 3. The cinnamon coloration on feathers that have been replaced is diluted and not as bright as you would see on a pure bird. One can get an overall impression that ducks become brighter during fall as the birds attain basic (=pretty/"breeding") plumage, but this is because of the replacement of retained alternate feathers with new fresh basic feathers. Feathers don’t come in and gradually brighten as the season progresses, though. If you look carefully at individual feathers, you can see they aren’t as bright as on a pure Cinnamon Teal. 4. There is a hint of a facial crescent that is already apparent, even though many of the very small feathers on the head is still being replaced. This will vary considerably with angle and light, but is another indication the bird is a hybrid. This trait is variable with some hybrids showing very distinctive bold white crescents and others showing very limited white patch even when a bird is fully in basic plumage. For instance: https://www.flickr.com/photos/r101/13514399314 Anyway, a great find and wonderful bird. Montezuma is certainly a great place for hybrid waterfowl. Chris Wood Ithaca, NY On 11/4/15, 8:59 AM, "bounce-119856844-10572...@list.cornell.edu on behalf of rfr...@earthlink.net" <bounce-119856844-10572...@list.cornell.edu on behalf of rfr...@earthlink.net> wrote: >The CITE is present this morning (8:30am) in LaRue's Lagoon along Wildlife >Drive in Montezuma NWR. Rich Fried Rob Bate New York City > >-- > >NYSbirds-L List Info: >http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME >http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES >http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > >ARCHIVES: >1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html >2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L >3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html > >Please submit your observations to eBird: >http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > >-- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
