The falcated duck or falcated teal (Mareca falcata) is a gadwall-sized dabbling duck from the east Palearctic (East Siberia and Mongolia to North Japan; wintering to India).

Taxonomy

The closest relative of this species is the gadwall, followed by the wigeons.

Distribution and habitat

The falcated duck breeds in eastern Asia. It nests in eastern Russia, in Khabarovsk, Primorskiy, Amur, Chita, Buryatia, Irkutsk, Tuva, eastern Krasnoyarsk, south central Sakha, Sakhalin, extreme northeastern North Korea and northern China, in northeastern Inner Mongolia, and northern Heilongjiang, and in northern Japan, Hokkaidō, Aomori, and the Kuril Islands.

During a survey done in Central China, a migratory area in the winter for the falcated duck, the numbers of animals sighted was minimal. In 2004 only 4 were recorded, and in 2005 only 10.

This is a species of lowland wetlands, such as water meadows or lakes, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing.

The National Nature Reserves supported high proportions of eastern China's populations of globally threatened Anatidae species (IUCN, 2009): 30% of the near threatened falcated duck (Anas falcata) populations. There is about twenty-seven percent of falcated duck species existing in the National Nature Reserves.

The breeding range of the falcated duck is from eastern Siberia and Mongolia to northeastern China and northern Japan with wintering grounds in the northern part of southeast Asia to northeastern India. There have also been a small number of sightings of falcated ducks in western North America and Poland. However, these sightings have been attributed to vagrants and ducks that have escaped from captivity.

Identification

thumb|Male falcated duck

Males and females have similar lengths at . Their weight can range from , with males weighing more than their female counterparts. Wingspans range from .

These ducks are usually quiet except on breeding territory. The male duck has a shrill whistle tyu-tyu-vit…tyu-vit…tyu-tyu-vit (Dementiev and Gladkov 1952) and a quiet whistle ending with a wavering uit-trr (Flint et al. 1984). The female duck has a hoarse, quack, short two-syllable inciting call, and a high pitched, two to four syllable Decrescendo call (Lorenz and Von de Wall 1960).

It is not known how long the falcated duck lifespan is. There is also not much information on their territory size because these ducks are not studied as closely as other more popular species like swans or geese.

Hybridization between two different species often leaves the offspring sterile, but this genus shows a surprising amount of hybrid fertility. This hybrid species performed courtship rituals more closely related to the falcated duck, yet socially was active in Eurasian wigeon flocks. Successful reproduction was not seen between the hybrid species and a pure Eurasian wigeon female during the fieldwork study. Further study of hybrid avian species can help shed light onto avian reproduction and their evolutionary biology.

Human influence on population

The falcated duck requires coastal wetlands for its survival. One of the most ecologically sensitive areas in the world is the eastern end of Nanhui county, China, and is a site for the falcated duck during the migratory season. This area is crucial for the falcated duck due to its population being extremely low. Urbanization and economic growth of this area has led to a significant environmental disturbance in this area. A reclamation project to create artificial wetlands was started in 1999 and finished in 2005. Studies have been done to see if the artificial wetlands were as efficient as the natural ones, and although the artificial wetlands did see migratory shorebirds present, their population was not as high as the natural wetlands. Much more research needs to be done before the artificial wetlands can match the natural wetlands, and provide an acceptable habitat for the falcated duck.

Around the time of the harvesting seasons during the Chinese spring festival of winter in Nanhui County of Shanghai, China, the pond managers drain the water in the pond in order to catch fish for commercial purposes. Around that time, the pond was dominated by falcated ducks roosting there. After the pond is drained it remains dry until the following spring when water is replenished for fresh cultivation. The time that the water is replenished is very critical for migrant waterbirds in the spring. If the water is replenished too late then the dry pond is inapt for shorebirds and herons.

Status and protection

The falcated duck is currently in a state of near threatened on the IUCN's Red List.

References

Further reading

  • Falcated Duck videos, photos, and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection