canberrabirds

Northern Shoveler mating with a Grey Teal

To: Philip Veerman <>
Subject: Northern Shoveler mating with a Grey Teal
From: Michael Lenz <>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2020 07:50:28 +0000
For what it is worth, the book by S. Reeber "Wildfowl of Europe, Asia and North America" lists under hybrids observed in the wild (with illustrations) for Northern Shoveler: with Mallard, American Wigeon and Gadwall
and for Eurasian Teal: with Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard and Baikal Teal.

Michael lenz


On Wed, 29 Jul 2020 at 17:35, Philip Veerman <> wrote:

Yes well, some male ducks will (attempt to) copulate with a chicken or a shoe or a bucket. I was only commenting on the sexual behaviour of that male bird. I was not going as far as mentioning cross breeding. Even if mating with another species of duck, and even assuming that this Grey Teal was a female and at the stage of ovulating, there are many reproductive isolating mechanisms – behavioural, hormonal, chromosomal, etc (see e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproductive_isolation) that will usually prevent production of progeny. Though if the species are sufficiently similar, successful hybrids occur, as we all know.

 

Another curly one is what will bird database users make of a breeding record “CO” for the Northern Shoveler in Australia?

 

Philip

 

From: David Rees [
Sent: Wednesday, 29 July, 2020 10:22 AM
To: Philip Veerman; 'Catman Burgess'; 'Rodney & Deborah Ralph';
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Northern Shoveler mating with a Grey Teal

 

In its native range the Northern Shoveler lives with a range of species of teal - from experience one in Europe and three in north America.  The female of say a Eurasian / Green winged teal is basically identical in appearance to a Grey Teal and closely related. I doubt there any reports of such crosses in those regions, therefore I would think it be unlikely to occur here, assuming as Philip has said that the bird in question was actually a female. It would be easy to tell with the Northern Hemisphere teal species. 

 

It mating with an Australian shoveler might be a different matter though.

 

David

 

On 28/07/2020 10:00 pm, Philip Veerman wrote:

I sent the following reply from the server at 8:56 a.m. yesterday. It still does not show. So I am trying again. Apologies if it now comes through twice.

 

How to reply to this one?

 

The answer is clearly no. It is not normal for a Northern Shoveler to

even be in Australia to have access to a Grey Teal. I don't know about

that species but male ducks have a tendency to being randy. Hybrids

generally occur when one individual is isolated and does not have access

to a proper partner. As in this case. To that extent this mistake is

sort of normal (or what can happen when things are wrong). I recall

being informed (there may well be new information since then) that male

ducks don't instinctively recognise females of their species but get

imprinted on what would normally be their mother and chose something

similar. Female ducks do instinctively recognise males of their species

and thus females would tend to regulate correct matings. Even so rapes

do occur. This would be such a case. What I find curious is why this

Northern Shoveler chose a Grey Teal, rather than a far more suitable (I

would have thought) Australasian Shoveler. Let's say it is confused. I

also wonder whether the Grey Teal was a male or female and whether it

simply failed to escape.

 

Philip

 

 

From: Catman Burgess
Sent: Sunday, 26 July, 2020 6:36 PM
To: Rodney & Deborah Ralph;
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Northern Shoveler mating with a Grey Teal

 

Is that normal for those two mate?

 

Regards Craig 


From: Rodney & Deborah Ralph
Sent: Saturday, 25 July 2020 1:42 PM
To:
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Northern Shoveler mating with a Grey Teal

 

     
Seen at Jerrabomberra Wetlands on 24 July 2020 the male Northern Shoveler
mating with a Grey Teal.
Photos taken from my movie.

Cheers,
Deb Ralph



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