ywaihung

A male American wigeon was spotted in TBT this morning among the flock of ducks.  The bird shows a characteristic white crown and has two lsrge conspicuous lateral green patches behind the eyes on two sides.
W.H.Yip

ajohn

American Wigeon would be a first for Hong Kong, although is a likely visitor here.
There is a slight complication that hybrid wigeon (American x Eurasian) have been reported on several occasions.
For example, see:
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/view ... &extra=page%3D7
Did you note any features that confirm this as pure American Wigeon? Are there any photos of the bird?

I am not saying your bird isn't American Wigeon - I hope it is! Certainly it will be worth keeping a look out among the wigeon flocks in the coming days.

ywaihung

Thanks for ajohn's comment.

I have tried to take picture by digiscoping but the result was not good due to long distance and the birds' movement.  The attached photo only shows the distinctive white crown of the bird.  Actually the white crown and the lateral green patches behind the eyes make the bird stands out sharply against the Eurasian wigeon.  

I have no idea of how the hybrids look like and I understand that Amerian wigeon is an extremely rare possibility in HK but the white crown and the lateral green patches make me think of an American wigeon which I have seen before in California at an instant.

Hope more birders could locate and identify the bird.

25-2-2009 10:20 a.m.
Tsim Bei Tsui

DSCN4576aaa.jpg (125.62 KB)

26/02/2009 16:08

深藍-Owen

a hybrid wigeon photo, Mai Po Jan 15, 2008

ajohn

The picture certainly looks promising for American Wigeon - congratulations!

I recommend everyone should keep a look out for this bird - hopefully more birders/photographers will be able to find the bird and confirm the ID.

This link shows some examples of hybrid wigeons, to show the variation
http://www.flickr.com/groups/hyb ... /72157601805249895/

Key features to check if you see the bird are the exact head pattern, extent of pink on flanks and, if possible, wing pattern (underwing and upperwing)

thinfor

My friend and I also doubted that there was one American Wigeon at the duck pond in the EC, with characteristic white crown.  It was quite different among the other wigeons.  A pity that we did not take any photos.  

Would other birders please help to take a careful look at the duck ponds in MPNK?  Thanks and good luck!

thinfor

Sorry that I forgot to mention the time.  My friend and I saw the doubtful American Wigeon at around 10:00 am on 27Feb (Fri).