Posted to the NYS Birds Listserve by Alex Wilson reply today (1/25)to Rob Jett's original inquiry:
Regarding the odd shoveler-type duck in Prospect Park,
this bird (I assume the same) was first noted on
12/24/09 and reported on Peter Dorosh’s Prospect
sightings blog:
http://peters-prospect-bird-sightings.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-eve-day-prospect-and-garden.html
Some photos I took are posted at:
http://www.digitalmediatree.com/arboretum/shoveler/
My photos show the bird next to a female Northern
Shoveler; though male by plumage it is barely as
large as the female shoveler, and the bill appears
smaller. From what I see online the Australasian
Shoveler is at least as big as Northern, with
equally extreme bill proportions. Australasian also
appears to have a more gray-tinged head and darker
markings on the breast,whereas the Prospect bird has
a strongly green head. Based on these factors I tend
to think it’s a Northern Shoveler X Blue-winged Teal
hybrid, but I’d be interested in more knowledgeable opinions.
Good birding,
Alex Wilson
Brooklyn, NY
Rob Jett's original posting:
Prospect Park's lake is notorious for hosting
some very strange hybrid waterfowl, so I wasn't too
surprised to find an odd-looking shoveler in the park.
What was first perceived to be a Northern Shoveler x Blue-
winged Teal hybrid, I'm now pretty certain is actually
an Australasian > Shoveler (Anas rhynchotis). I have
some photos and a short video on my blog here:
>
http://citybirder.blogspot.com/2010/01/strange-waterfowl.html
>
> Just wondering:
- How common are Australasian Shovelers in zoos
or private collections?
- Have Australasian Shovelers ever been recorded
outside of New Zealand or Australia?
- What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen
swallow?
>
> Good birding,
>
> Rob
