Ring-necked Duck x Lesser Scaup Hybrid (Aythya collaris x affinis), Agua Fria River at Camelback Rd, Maricopa County

This apparent Ring-necked Duck x Lesser Scaup hybrid was found and photographed by Caleb Strand on 12 March 2020

This hybrid combination is apparently fairly rare but regular.

This individual shows the classic intermediate features of a Ring-necked Duck x Lesser Scaup hybrid. The bill has a reduced white subterminal band and lacks the white on the tomium of Ring-necked Duck. The back is intermediate dark gray, and the flanks are pale gray without the white spur of Ring-necked Duck. Hybrids between Ring-necked Duck and Greater Scaup are reportedly rarer, but should show a more rounded crown and larger size.

12 March 2020, photo by Caleb Strand

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