| Marbled duck | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Marmaronetta Reichenbach, 1853 |
| Species: | M. angustirostris |
| Binomial name | |
| Marmaronetta angustirostris (Ménétriés, 1832) | |
Themarbled duck ormarbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) is a medium-sized species ofduck from southern Europe, northern Africa, and western and centralAsia.[1] The scientific name,Marmaronetta angustirostris, comes from theGreekmarmaros, marbled andnetta, a duck, andLatinangustus, narrow or small and-rostrisbilled.[2]
This duck formerly bred in large numbers in the Mediterranean region, but is now restricted to a few sites in southern Spain, southern Italy, northwest Africa and the broaderLevant. Further east it survives in theMesopotamian marshland in southern Iraq and in Iran (Shadegan Marshes - the world's most important site), as well as isolated pockets inArmenia,Azerbaijan, SouthEuropean Russia, western India and western China. In general the species has nomadic tendencies. In some areas birds disperse from the breeding grounds, and have been encountered in the winter period in theSahel zone, south of theSahara.[1]
Its preferred breeding habitat is temporary and shallow fresh,brackish oralkaline waters with densely vegetated shores in regions that otherwise are fairly dry. It may also breed in coastal lagoons, along slow rivers or man-made waters like reservoirs. The on averagec. 12 eggs are placed in a nest covered by dense vegetation at the waters edge. It is usually on the ground, but occasionally higher among reeds or on huts made from reeds.[1] They are common in captive collections but are a nervous and flighty bird.
These are gregarious birds, at times even when nesting. Outside the breeding season flocks are often small, although large wintering flocks have been reported in some areas. The largest winter concentration known is inKhuzestan, Iran.[3]
In 2011, a group of Iraqi ornithologists counted a single flock of the rare marbled teal on the lakes of theIraqi marshes, numbering at least 40,000 birds.[4]
The marbled duck is approximately 39–42 cm (15–17 in) long. Adults are a pale sandy-brown colour, diffusely blotched off-white, with a dark eye-patch and shaggy head. The female averages smaller than the male, but otherwise the sexes are alike. Juveniles are similar but with more off-white blotches. In flight, the wings look pale without a marked pattern, and nospeculum on the secondaries.[3]
These birds feed mainly in shallow water by dabbling or up-ending.[3] Adults feed mostly on seeds (for example, fromScirpus andRuppia), but also take significant quantities of invertebrates (especially aquatic insect larvae and pupae, tiny crustaceans, and—highly unusual for a duck—ants) and green plants (for example,Potamogeton). Theirgizzard allows them to break down seeds and thelamellae in their beak allow them tofilter feed onzooplanktonic organisms. Young marbled ducks feed mostly on invertebrates. Although they may take tiny seeds, they lack the large gizzard necessary to break down the larger seeds commonly consumed by adults.[5]
This bird is considered near threatened by theIUCN due to a reduction in population caused byhabitat destruction and hunting. It is one of the species to which theAgreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.[1]
