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I located this bird in a mixed Tufted Duck and Pochard flock in Wooley Bay at Ogston Reservoir on 28th November 2004. I believe the bird to be a hybrid between these two species showing many intermediate features. Birds such as this can be confusing or even suggest rarer species at times. This particular individual perhaps most resembled a male Pochard though similar birds have caused confusion with Redhead in the past, so I thought it might be worth briefly describing its appearance here.

The bird was about the same size or very slightly smaller than the nearby Pochards (Redhead is slightly larger). The head was noticeably darker and more mahogany coloured than the Pochards. The head shape also differed in having a steeper and more rounded forehead and in a front or rear view the crown appeared narrower and the cheeks broader or more puffed out than the Pochards. The head appeared more pinched in around the eyes in such views. On the rear crown a very slight tuft was visible at times. (see photo 4)
The bill appeared similar in size and shape to the nearby Pochards. The black on the bill base appeared to be confined to strap shaped areas leading backwards from the upper edge of the nostril, lacking the rounded area enclosing and extending below the nostril of male Pochard. Redhead usually only has a very narrow black line along the base of the bill not reaching the nostril. The black band on the tip of the bill was slightly more extensive than on the Pochards extending slightly further back on the culmen and giving a slightly more square cut and less "u" shaped appearance, though less so than on Redhead.

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The mantle appeared a shade darker and the flanks marginally paler than that of the Pochards and thus contrasted more, a clear sign of Tufted Duck influence (Redhead is darker on both the mantle and flanks and thus lacks this contrast). The black on the undertail coverts appeared slightly more extensive than on the Pochards. The iris was yellowish-orange and noticeably paler than the red eye of the male Pochards.

The same Tufted X Pochard combination can produce a range of different looking hybrids. Below are three excellent photos (7-9) of a very similar individual taken by Stuart Fourt at Welney. Pictures of another example can be viewed via the link here (just click cancel on the download box that comes up).

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