Very cool widgeon

[phutch30]

My buddies son shot this here in MT. Pretty cool variation on the normal color, and no its not a eurasian. Click on it for a bigger pic.
URL=http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=oddwidgun3.jpg]

[Mark]

Clicking doesn't enlarge the pic. Can you please post a larger pic?

[killerbee]

Clicking doesn't enlarge the pic. Can you please post a larger pic?

+1, looks like a pretty bird, i'd like a better look.

[79Ford]

Here ya go. I reposted it for ya.

[MuleyMadness]

Cool photo, please expound on the color variation. I'm not that smart yet.

[phutch30]

There are two possiblities here. 1st it coud be the result of an american/eurasian hybrid x eurasian cross or american/eurasian hybrid x american widgeon. Either of these crosses would explain the coloration. Its not likly its a straight eurasian x american cross. The picture doesnt really show all the different colors in this bird. Its throat is green and the brown has green tints. 2nd it could be a color morph. Meaning some of its genes are mixed up and it is expressing brown instead of green. Personally, I think somewhere in its geneology an ancester was abused by a wayward eurasian widgeon. Apparently birds like this are seen occasioally on the west coast.