September Garden Bird Watch News
Mallard Duck
Anas platyrhynchos
Along with daffodils and lambs, ducklings herald in the spring. I could have subtitled this Mixed Feelings Over Mixed Ducks as it occurred to me that we have a complicated relationship with the Mallard. For many, feeding the ducks is an enjoyable pastime, especially when accompanied by small children. For duck shooters, the Mallard represents sport and a tasty dinner. For many they are a source of comic relief, especially when they fly towards the water, their webbed feet outstretched in an ungainly manner, and then land clumsily, often careening with obstacles such as rocks, plants and other ducks. More significantly, the Mallard is the ancestor of most domestic duck species and as such has played an important role in animal husbandry. It is, however, also a pest species, breeding and hybridising with the endemic Grey Duck, endangering its future survival. Evidently the Mallard is known to cross-breed with 63 duck species throughout the world. I can’t help wonder if one day we will find the genomes of extinct species hidden among the DNA of Mallards and Mallard hybrids. Provided with such a genetic Rosetta Stone, maybe we will be able to bring some of them back.
Back to reality, the Mallard was first introduced to New Zealand in the 1860’s, but failed to become established. It wasn’t until after 1930 when eggs were imported from California that the Mallard population exploded. In New Zealand today, 80% of dabbling ducks are Mallards. Dabbling ducks belong to the subfamily Anatinae. Others in this group are the Grey Duck, Grey Teal, Brown Teal and New Zealand Shoveler. Like all ducks, Mallards live on and near water, feeding on aquatic insects, snails, tadpoles and plants. Dabbling refers to their tendency to upend in the water while foraging for food. On land they will also eat clover, seeds and grains.
They form pairs and establish territories in July. The female increases her consumption of insects to provide protein for egg-laying. Nesting takes place between August and January. Between 8-15 eggs are laid in simple bowls of grass lined with down, which are hidden under shrubs, trees or other vegetation near the water’s edge. Only the female incubates the eggs. Ducklings can take to the water and feed themselves as soon as they hatch.
Female Mallards look very similar to Grey Ducks. Unlike Mallards, male and female Grey Ducks look much alike. Mallards and Grey Ducks can be distinguished by the colour of the iridescent patch on the secondary feathers of the wing, called the speculum. In Mallards, the speculum is blue or purple. In the Grey Duck it is turquoise green. Other distinguishing features are the stripes across the eyes, which are more pronounced in the Grey Duck, and the colour of the legs and feet, which are orange-brown on Mallards and greenish-brown on Grey Ducks. Mallard-Grey Duck hybrids may be impossible to recognize as they frequently take on the coloration of Mallards.
Backyard Bird Monitoring Data
With the Antarctic blast hitting New Zealand in the middle of our last garden survey period, I was curious to see what, if any, effects it had on our bird counts. Comparing averages of birds recorded (most seen at one time) from August 2010 with August 2011, the numbers recorded of most bird species were down. It would seem the cold also affected bird monitors, as there were fewer surveys conducted than usual.
To view the full newsletter please download the file below.
