Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris)

Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris)

Marbled Teal (Captive) August 2000 - click for larger image

WWT Barnes, London, England
August 2000
Captive Bird

The Marbled Teal is classified as VULNERABLE by Birdlife International. Recent estimates of between 9,000 and 19,000 birds show a rapid decline from the estimated 34,000 to 40,000 birds as recently as 1991.

It lives in wetlands, preferably brackish, with vegetation such as reeds growing. It is estimated that 50% of suitable habitat across its range was destroyed during the 20th century. This includes drainage for agriculture and water management such as dams in countries such as Iraq, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco and Spain. I suspect that the current Spanish plan to divert some of the waters of the Ebro southwards in Spain will do little to help the survival of this species.

It is a dabbling duck and is partly migratory. It is resident in parts of the Middle East while there is a concentration of wintering birds in Pakistan which breed around the Caspian and Aral Seas. The small Spanish population mostly migrates to North Africa during the winter although they are present in Coto Doñana all year.

There is an illustration in HBW, Volume 1, Page 610

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