Laysan teal

Named by Lionel Walter Rothschild in 1892, the Laysan Duck is named after Laysan island, one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It is a member of the mallard clade of dabbling ducks, and is a highly behaviorally and genetically unusual species. Recent evidence suggests they evolved from an east Asian, southern hemisphere ancestor of mallards, not from stray migratory Mallards as had been reported in the past.

The Laysan teal is classified as Critically Endangered (CR), facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

species, the Laysan teal, had a very successful 2007 breeding season at a refuge that was once part of its historic range, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologists. This year's total tally of adult and fledgling Laysan ducks, now residing on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), rose during 2007 to approximately 200 ducks. More

Laysan Teal on Laysan Island, Hawaii. Waterbirds 27(2): 183-192. DOI:10.1675/1524-4695(2004)0272.0.CO;2 HTML abstract * Reynolds, Michelle H.; Slotterback, J.W. & Walters, J.R. (2006): Diet composition and terrestrial prey selection of the Laysan Teal on Laysan Island. Atoll Research Bulletin 543: 181-199. More

Aspects of the topic Laysan teal are discussed in the following places at Britannica. Assorted References * description (in mallard (bird)) ...a subspecies of mallard. Mallards will mate with them—in fact, black duck females prefer mallard males. But most authorities now consider the black duck a separate species. Conversely, the Laysan teal (formerly A. More

Laysan Duck: Also called Laysan Teal and endemic to Laysan Island, is brown with patches of white feathers around eye, green-glossed head and neck with variable white feathers. Speculum may appear green, purple, or blue. Dark gray bill with variable black markings. Dull orange legs and feet. ● Song: "kwek-kwek-kwek" ● Foraging & Feeding: Laysan Duck: Feeds at night and forages mostly on ground or mud flats but will dabble in shallow water. More

The Laysan duck, also known as the Laysan teal, is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, USA. It was once widespread in the Hawaiian Islands, but for the last 150 years, has been restricted to just Laysan Island (7) (8). In 2004 and 2005, a number of Laysan ducks were translocated to two islands of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (9). View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. More

* Until recently, the Laysan Teal was actually thought to be just a subspecies of mallard. * Laysan Teal have been observed sprinting through swarms of flies snapping their beaks to catch their food. * They were first discovered in 1882 and have been at the verge of extinction a number of times. More

rabbits in the 1950's, the Laysan Teal was declared officially endangered in 1967, and a dedicated protection prgramme was put in place. After a few occasional population bottlenecks (population numbers exceeding space and then dying in times of drought or disease) the population levelled out to around 500 in 2000. The species was then re-classified as critical. Indeed, conservationists were so confident that in 2004 42 birds were moved to the nearby island of Midway Atoll. This translocation was wonderfully successful. More

laysanensis), also known as the Laysan Teal, is a critically endangered dabbling duck that is restricted to a single population on the remote and rat-free Laysan Island (Fig. 1). The Laysan Duck was listed as an endangered species in 1966 because of its small population, limited distribution, and dependence on a fragile island ecosystem. The same threats identified in 1966 continue to plague the species today. More

composition and terrestrial prey selection of the Laysan teal on Laysan Island. Atoll Research Bulletin, 543: 181 - 199. 13. Flint, E. and Rehkemper, C. (2002) Control and eradication of the introduced grass, Cenchrus echinatus, at Laysan Island, Central Pacific Ocean. In: Veitch, C.R. and Clout, M.N. (Eds) Turning the Tide: The Eradication of Invasive Species. IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland. More