RobinHood

Thanks akiley for the fast response and intriguing answer - I had not heard of this combination. I did notice the bill is an interesting mix of colors - pink with a touch of yellow plus the red, not sure if this hybrid related or a sign of immaturity. I will have to do some research on this. Thanks again.

Southern Ontario, December 19. This guy stood out in the crowd - quite a bit darker than the other Herrings but not as dark as the nearby Greater Black-backed. Not sure what to think.

Interestingly, the first reaction of another far more expert birder than me also thought Pintail influence!! I am personally more interested in how these three arrived together - joint escape, or naturally got together.

Thanks Bird Nuts. Now you mention it I see the white eye-ring on all three - just a major discrepancy in size between 1/2 and 3. I'm not sure why there is such a reluctance to accept Muscovy/Mallard hybrids - for Canada at least there are only a handful of accepted observations (not trying to be controversial, genuinely wondering why). Thanks again.

Amigo 1 hangs out on an elevated area next to the resident duck population. When the occasional visitor walks there he will do anything to avoid going into the water - moves downhill but resolutely stays on the edge of the water. TBH bird behavior is more "my thing" than ID (not difficult to determine). Always appreciate your comments Charlie.

Love the response Scott, I suspect we are on the same page - I am learning so much from this site. Amigo 3 appears to have a female Mallard bill but after that I don't know. For me it is fascinating that all three arrived together December 1. Thanks again.

Southern Ontario. These three characters arrived together about three weeks ago. Amigo 1 was posted previously and the consensus seemed to be Muscovy/Mallard hybrid (although not accepted by eBird reviewer who prefers domestic Mallard which is fine, I would not want their job). Amigos 1 and 3 went off and spent some remote time together. Today Amigos 2 and 3 are hanging out together with the local Mallard population. Amigo 1 definitely prefers to be land based, very reluctant to go waterborne unless food is being offered and very comfortable close to people - domestic duck origins? Amigos 1 and 2 are at least 50% larger than a Mallard, whereas Amigo 3 is Mallard size. 1 and 2 are therefore probably domestic origins but not sure about 3 - Leucistic Mallard? All comments/observations appreciated.

I still think this is a decent match (except maybe the feet). I hate to see everyone give up on this!!

Red-crested Cardinal - a regular Florida escapee (but I don't think they do mass jail breaks). Really looking forward to the answer.

Thanks akiley. I went with juvenile because the fairly uniform darker coloration seemed to match with the Sibley juvenile (Aug-Apr). Still lots to learn about gulls.

Southern Ontario, a few days ago. I think this is a juvenile Glaucous Gull. Thanks.

Thanks Charlie - really just checking to make sure I was not imagining things, and there were no other possibilities. Typically in this area, south tip of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron (or anywhere a few miles/kms north of Toronto) male RWBs start arriving back at the end of Feb., followed a few weeks later by the females. If you search on eBird for RWBs in Dec/Jan there are almost no sightings, certainly where I am, so I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious. Or maybe no-one bothers reporting them? Thanks again.

Mid-Southern Ontario today. Thanks.

Following further research I am guessing the size is the main factor for selection over Iceland. A year ago I would never have guessed that gulls could be so interesting. Thanks again.

That is fascinating - I had done a quick overview looking for B-b Gulls and completely missed this one but it certainly stands out. Many thanks.