Bird Hybrids

Many former followers have already abandoned X and fled to BlueSky but clearly the rest of you are still on this sinking ship because there is no Bird Hybrids at Bsky. Well I have some good news: there is now a Bsky Bird Hybrids feed! Come and join us: bsky.app/profile/did:pl…

If like me you no longer wish to support a platform that enables harm and divison, please come and join me at Bluesky and follow the #HybridBirds feed for all the best news on hybrid birds. (2/2)

I have not posted here for a while and will not do so while X continues to embrace racism, misogyny, and rampant disinformation. X's purpose is now to serve its owner's political and personal agenda and its values are wholly incompatible with my own. (1/2)

@MikeMoxon2 @bradinho8 Yeah, Mike’s right - call ducks, which are domestic variants of Mallard, are much smaller, shorter-billed and squeakier than natural wild Mallards. Domestic variants of Mallard come in all shapes and sizes and colours!

@bradinho8 @BirdHybrids Call ducks are smaller variety mallard

Cute little things ... but what are they? Like a Duclair but smaller and small yellow bill @BirdHybrids

Well this is niche. Cinnamon Teal x Eurasian/Green-winged Teal hybrid if I’m not mistaken. I’m not a big beer drinker but I’m quite tempted by this one.

This summer, a nature reserve in France has seen its third case of hybridisation between Grey Heron and Little Egret since 2018: bit.ly/4fPC3qa

@_JohnAshburner @fmrib_steve @RareBirdAlertUK @_BTO Yes, the only anomaly for Canada Goose seems to be pure white at the front of the head so leucism seems the most likely solution. A hybrid would show mixed characters of two species, not simply something odd for one species.

The @_BTO is asking for help in mapping familiar garden birds with unusual plumage features, such as a Blackbird or sparrow with striking white feathers rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/Unu…

silly crops of distant bird but size almost same as Little, bill too thin and long, jowl Cattle - but presumably a Cattle x Little hybrid? Alkborough Flats last two days - feeds in water with Littles?

…you’ve seen anything weird purporting to be from me. I’ve changed my password and it all seems to be back to normal now. Even so, I’m increasingly uncomfortable with the direction Musk is taking X so will post less here (try BlueSky for a great alternative). (2 of 2)

Apologies for the recent inactivity here. Some strange things have been going on here with constant notifications of DMs but no DM. Not sure if the account was hacked and someone was sending/receiving messages on my behalf then deleting them or what, so apologies if… (1 of 2)

@Lophophanes @Davedack81 Yes, structurally it does recall Muscovy, though some domestic Mallards can approach this. From these photos I’m not sure I can rule out pure (juv?) domestic Muscovy but it may well be a hybrid with domestic Mallard.

When the first scan with the binoculars at Castle Island makes you think you've found a Glossy Ibis!!!

The vagrant American Black Tern in Northumberland has paired up with a male Arctic Tern and is currently sitting on eggs, marking a most unlikely case of hybridisation between the two species: bit.ly/3VMHDBH

Looks like it’s in partial eclipse now…

@SwannerySteve @AndyWarr3 @pmandrews1973 @WorcsBirding @Clifton_Pits Yes, I agree, this looks like Mallard x Muscovy hybrid to me.

@AndyWarr3 @pmandrews1973 @BirdHybrids @WorcsBirding @Clifton_Pits Check out domestic Mallard x domestic Muscovy pics on google. Some very close to your bird 👍

An interesting hybrid Duck at Clifton Pits this afternoon. Certainly Mallard in it, which it associated with. The long, pointed tail & uniformly dark wings may suggest Scoter, though find this combination hard to believe @BirdHybrids @WorcsBirding @Clifton_Pits #WorcsBirds

@garethje60 They’re domestic variants of Mallard, not hybrids in the sense of two different species being involved. The small short-billed breeds are often called Call Ducks

@BirdHybrids small flock of hybrid ducks have appeared in #Hitchin this weekend.

In the latest BB, two classic short papers. 'Apparent Blackbird x Fieldfare hybrid' by Paul J. Willoughby and 'Presumed Common Eider x Mallard hybrid' in Northumberland by Phil Palmer ➡️bit.ly/3XenTIw ➡️bit.ly/3Vh1fwp 📷Thomas Willoughby 📷Phil Palmer

Neck shape recalls Great White Egret but can we rule out leucistic Grey Heron? Those is one of those birds that I suspect would be easier in life than from photos.

@EllieSi14816714 The thing to rule out with these is leucistic Grey Heron and that can sometimes be easier with field views than it is with photos. The shape of the kink in the neck recalls Great White Egret though, so I’d certainly be open to the possibility that it’s the hybrid.

@BirdHybrids spotted at Sandbank nature reserve, Scotland. Grey heron x Great white egret??