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Post by another specialist on May 20, 2005 15:15:05 GMT
Marianna mallard
Anas oustaleti
The Mariana mallard (Anas oustaleti) was endemic to freshwater marshes, lakes, rivers, and
mangrove lagoons on the islands of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. It may have also inhabited
Rota and Pagan, but the evidence is not conclusive.
The historic population size is unknown, but the the mallard was likely never abundant
because freshwater habitats are limited on the Mariana Archipelago. Two flocks of 50-60
birds observed in 1936 were the largest ever recorded. By the 1940s, flocks of more than a
dozen birds were rarely seen. The mallard was last seen on Guam in 1967, on Tinian in
1974, and on Saipan in 1979. A pair of the Saipan birds were captured in 1979 and sent to
Sea World (San Diego, CA). The breeding program failed and the last known mallard died in
captivity in 1981. Repeated surveys of all mallard habitat on Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan
since 1979 found no birds.
The Mariana mallard’s extinction was caused by habitat loss and hunting, especially during
and immediately after World War II. During the Japanese occupation of Saipan and Tinian
(1914-1945), most wetlands were channelized and converted to rice paddies. Sugar mill
wastes were discharged into Lake Susupe on Saipan, the last known location of the Mariana
mallard in the wild. After the occupation, wetlands continued to be drained or filled for
development on Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. Gun ownership was banned during the
occupation but hunting pressure was significant after as the mallard was not wary of humans,
and thus was easily caught.
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Post by sebbe67 on May 20, 2005 15:32:28 GMT
Anas (platyrhynchos) oustaletti (Marianas Mallard) was endemic to the Mariana islands of Guam, Tinian and Saipan (to U.S.A.)1 and almost certainly had its origin in hybridization between Mallard A. platyrhynchos and Grey Duck A. superciliosa.
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Post by another specialist on May 20, 2005 16:03:12 GMT
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Post by Melanie on May 20, 2005 16:03:19 GMT
Mariana Mallard / Anas platyrhynchos oustaleti The Mariana Mallard, also known as "Nganga palao" in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), was a large duck that measured 23 inches in length. It was mottled brown in color, and had an orange bill. Some males had greenish heads. The species is believed to have been a subspecies that originated as a hybrid between the common mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and the grey duck (Anas superciliosa). Habitat & Behavior: The Mariana Mallard was endemic to the islands of Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Rota of the Mariana Archipelago. This species was probably was never abundant due to limited habitat availability. There have never been extensive freshwater marshes or swamps in the Marianas Archipelago. The largest number of Mariana Mallards ever recorded was two flocks of 50-60 at two locations at Lake Hagoi, Tinian. The mallard was recorded at Lake Susupe, Saipan and Lake Hagoi, Tinian. However, scientists speculated that the mallards flew between the two islands. Past & Present: The Mariana Mallard was historically known from Guam, Tinian, and Saipan of the Marianas Archipelago. The last confirmed sighting was in 1979 on Guam and the population estimate was probably less than a dozen. The Mariana Mallard's reduction in range and eventual extinction has been attributed to habitat loss and hunting, especially during and immediately after World War II (WWII). Evolving without predators, the mallard was unwary of humans and easily caught. They were hunted and trapped for food. After WWII, islanders were allowed to own firearms, and hunting of the birds persisted. Habitat loss has also been a major factor in the decline and extinction of the Mariana Mallard. Draining and fragmentation of wetlands has greatly reduced the quantity and quality of wetlands on Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. Though early reports on Tinian mention two lakes, Lake Hagoi is the only lake currently found on the island. It is probable that the second lake referred to is what is now known as Makpo Swamp which is too overgrown with woody vegetation to be considered mallard habitat. Additionally, this wetland has been drained for water for San José village and converted into farmland. Since 1945, many wetlands have been drained or filled in the course of urban development on all three islands. Conservation Efforts: Extensive surveys have been conducted since 1982 by staff from the Division of Fish and Wildlife, CNMI; Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources of Guam; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and no evidence of the Mariana Mallard has been found. In 1979, the Service collected a pair of Mariana Mallard for captive propagation, first at Pohakuloa on the Big Island of Hawai`i, then at Sea World, San Diego, California. The captive breeding attempt failed, and the last known mallard died at Sea World, San Diego in 1981. The Mariana Mallard was listed as endangered on June 2, 1977. All available information indicates that this duck is extinct. The Service is proposing to remove the Mariana Mallard from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Photo: www.fws.gov/pacific/pacificislands/wesa/mallardmariaindex.html |
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Post by another specialist on May 20, 2005 16:08:51 GMT
In addition there are bound to be certain points on which doubt still exists and which must await further research and confirmation. Such a point is the status of Oustalet's Gray Duck, considered a full species, Arias oustaleti, by Phillips, and relegated to a paragraph, p. 42, by Delacour as a mere hybrid. This bird breeds on Saipan in the Marianas group, and perhaps on islets to the north and south of Saipan. Yamashina, in an interesting article in 'Pacific Science' in 1947, pointed out that a number of his large series of these birds showed evidences of male Mallard (A. platyrhynchos) plumage, rather like northern Mallards coming into or going out of eclipse plumage. He suggested that in fact the population was an unstable one, a sort of hybrid swarm, based on descendents of casual Mallards arriving from the north and stray Gray Ducks (A. superciliosa) arriving from the islands to the south. If this is so, it is a very interesting case biologically speaking and one which should be thoroughly investigated, for such a "laboratory" case in birds in the wild state is of necessity rare. It is a case which should be signalled, emphasized, rather than minimized as is done in Delacour's text. In fact, of course, the evidence is not complete as this volume itself shows, for
specimens of other island subspecies such as the Kerguelen Pintail and the Hawaiian
Duck occasionally show traces of male nuptial plumage of the ancestral form even
after long isolation.elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v074n02/p0269-p0274.pdfThis duck is still classed as a valid species...... |
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Post by another specialist on Jun 3, 2005 7:52:05 GMT
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Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2005 13:02:06 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Nov 1, 2005 22:59:48 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jul 26, 2008 9:57:59 GMT
  Endangered Wildlife and Plants of the World By Marshall Cavendish Corporation, Marshall Cavendish Corporation |
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Post by sebbe67 on Apr 28, 2009 10:19:26 GMT
The Mariana Mallard (Anas oustaleti[1]) or Oustalet's Gray Duck is an extinct species of duck of the genus Anas that was endemic to the Mariana Islands. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the Mallard or the Pacific Black Duck, or (erroneously) the Spot-billed Duck (as Anas poecilorhyncha oustaleti). This species is an interesting example of hybrid speciation (which is very rare in birds and mammals), as it is apparently derived from migrating individuals of the Mallard (A. p. platyrhynchos) and the Australasian Black Duck (A. s. rogersi) which settled down and became resident on the Marianas. The speciation process has only started in comparatively recent time (thousands of years maybe) and neither Mariana Mallards nor their progenitor species are known from fossils on the Marianas, casting into doubt the assumption that a resident Black Duck population had been long established on the islands.[2] A species of flightless duck known from a prehistoric bone found on Rota in 1994 (Steadman, 1999) was apparently not closely related to the Recent birds. The IUCN, among others, does not consider the Mariana Mallard a proper species yet and thus does not include it in its redlist. However, as the population constituted a distinct, established and independent evolutionary unit (although not yet phenotypically homogenized), it was at least an incipient species. If considered specifically distinct, it was one of the most short-lived vertebrate species known to science, existing for a few 10000 years at most from the first hybridization event to its extinction. Local names are ngånga' (palao) in Chamorro and ghereel'bwel in Carolinian. The binomial of this species commemorates the French zoologist Emile Oustalet. DescriptionMariana Mallards were 51-56 cm long and weighed approximately one kilogram, making them marginally smaller than mallards. Two intergrading color morphs were found in males, called the "platyrhynchos" and the "superciliosa" type after the species they resembled more. Only the former had a distinct nuptial (breeding) plumage: the head was green as in mallard drakes, but less glossy, with some buff feathers on the sides, a dark brown eyestripe and a faint whitish ring at the base of the neck. The upper breast was dark ruddish chestnut brown with blackish-brown spots. The wing patch (speculum) and the tail was also like in mallard drakes' nuptial plumage, including curled-up central tail feathers, but the tips of the speculum feathers were buff. The underside was a mix between the vermiculated grey feathers of the mallard and the brown ones of the Pacific Black Duck. The remainder of the bird looked like a male Pacific Black Duck with lighter underwings. The bill was black at the base and olive at the tip, the feet reddish orange with darker webs and the iris brown. The eclipse plumage looked similar to a dark eclipse mallard drake. Males of the "superciliosa" type resembled an Island Black Duck with a less distinctly marked head, the supercilium and cheeks being buffy and the cheek (malar) stripe hardly visible. The upper breast, flank and scapular feathers had broader buff edges, and the underwings were lighter. The speculum was usually as in the "platyrhynchos" type, i.e. mallard-like, but at least two specimens have the green speculum of the Pacific Black Duck. The bill was like that of A. superciliosa, and the iris and legs similar to the "platyrhynchos" type. Females looked essentially like a dark mallard female with the orange of the feet and near the bill tip usually a bit more pure. Ducklings were probably intermediate in plumage between the two progenitor species, somewhat duller than mallard or somewhat more vivdly colored than Pacific Black Duck downy young. The voice can be assumed to have resembled the Mariana Mallard's parent species'; possibly, the females' quacking was hoarser than in the mallard. [edit] Distribution It occurred, in recent times at least, on the islands of Guam, Saipan and Tinian. Madge & Burn (1988) mention a report of 2 unidentified ducks seen on Rota in 1945, but as no movement of A. oustaleti between Saipan and Tinian, which are just 8 km apart, was recorded (Kuroda, 1941-42), these were probably vagrant migrating ducks, although Marshall (1949) suspected from circumstantial evidence that such movement did indeed take place. However, the distance between Guam and Rota is nearly 80 km, making intentional migration between these islands not likely. [edit] Ecology The Mariana Mallard inhabited wetlands, mostly inland but occasionally also in coastal areas. On Guam, it was most abundant in the Talofofo River valley, on Tinian on Lake Hagoi and Lake Makpo (now Makpo Swamp) before it was drained, and on Saipan on the Garpan lagoon and on and around Lake Susupe. The birds were rather reclusive, preferring sheltered habitat with plenty of wetland/water plants - fern Acrostichum aureum thickets and Scirpus, Cyperus and Phragmites (australis) karka reed beds, as described in detail by Tenorio et al. (1979) and Stemmermann (1981) -, where they also nested. Usually, pairs or small flocks were encountered, but in the key habitats larger groups of dozens and rarely up to 50-60 individuals could be found. Apart from possible inter-island movement, the birds were not migratory. Feeding and reproduction is not well documented, but cannot expected to differ significantly from its immediate relatives: The birds fed on aquatic invertebrates, small vertebrates and plants and although up-ending was not observed, they probably utilized it too. Breeding was recorded from at least January to July, with a peak in June/July at the end of the dry season. One male specimen taken in October was also in breeding condition (Marshall, 1949); thus, the birds may have bred nealy year-round at least on occasion. Unfortunately, the courtship behavior, which in the strongly sexually dimorphic mallard is focused more on presentation of visual cues than in the monomorphic Pacific Black Duck (although it is generally similar in both species), was never recorded. The clutch consisted of 7-12 pale grey-green oval eggs measuring 61.6 x 38.9 mm on average (Kuroda, 1941-42). Males took no part in incubation, which lasted around 28 days, and caring for the ducklings. The young fledged when c. 8 weeks old and became sexually mature the following year. [edit] Extinction The birds declined due to draining of wetlands for agriculture and construction. Hunting pressure was probably heavy, despite a ban on gun ownership under Japanese control (1914-1945), as the birds were unwary to be trapped, and at any rate the gun ban was lifted after World War II (see also below). By the 1940s, flocks of more than a dozen birds were seldom seen. On Guam, the last sightings were in 1949 and 1967 - the latter being a single, possibly vagrant, bird - and on Tinian in 1974. As Lake Susupe offered the most plentiful and least accessible habitat, although it too suffered from pollution by sugar mill wastes, the Saipan population lingered on for a few more years. The Mariana Mallard was listed as federally endangered on June 2, 1977 (United States Government, 1977). In 1979, two males and a female were found on Saipan and caught; one male was later released, the last wild bird ever to be encountered. The pair was brought to Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, and later to SeaWorld, San Diego, where it was attempted to have them reproduce in captivity. However, this was unsuccessful and the species became extinct with the death of the last individual in 1981. Surveys were conducted in the following years, but the species was certainly gone by then. It was removed from the USFWS Endangered Species List on February 23, 2004, due to extinction (United States Government, 2004). Collection of specimens for museums and private collections must have had a temporary impact during the Japanese control over the islands. Although less than 100 specimens are on record, most were taken in the 1930s and 1940s for Japanese collectors; given the rather sedentary habits and small population size of the species, this may have jeopardized local populations to the point of extinction. Outside Japan, 7 specimens (including the type) are in the MNHN, Paris, one in the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum, Tring, two in the USNM, Washington D.C. and six in the AMNH, New York City (FWIE-VTU, 1996). Greenway (1967) mentions additional specimens in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Lisbon. [edit] References Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange (1996): [Mariana Mallard, ESIS101048 (draft)]. Virginia Tech. HTML fulltext Disclaimer Gillespie, Grant D. (1985): Hybridization, introgression, and morphometric differentiation between Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Grey Duck (Anas superciliosa) in Otago, New Zealand. Auk 102(3): 459-469. PDF fulltext Greenway, James C. (1967): Marianas Island Duck. In: Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World (2nd edition): 169-171. Dover Publications, New York. Kuroda, N. (1941-42): . Tori 11: 99-119 (part 1), 443-448 (part 2). [Article in Japanese]
Madge, Steve & Burn, Hilary (1987): Wildfowl : an identification guide to the ducks, geese and swans of the world. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7470-2201-1
Marshall, Joe T., Jr. (1949): The endemic avifauna of Saipan, Tinian, Guam and Palau. Condor 51(5): 200-221. PDF fulltext
Rhymer, Judith M.; Williams, Murray J. & Braun, Michael J. (1994). Mitochondrial analysis of gene flow between New Zealand Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and Grey Ducks (A. superciliosa). Auk 111(4): 970–978. PDF fulltext
Salvatori, Tommaso (1894): [Description of Anas oustaleti]. Bull. B. O. C. 20: 1.
Steadman, David William (1999): The Prehistory of Vertebrates, Especially Birds, on Tinian, Aguiguan, and Rota, Northern Mariana Islands. Micronesica 31(2): 319-345. PDF fulltext
Steadman, David William (2006): Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-77142-3.
Stemmermann, L. (1981): A guide to Pacific wetland plants. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District. Honolulu.
Tenorio, J. et al. (1979): Ornithological surveys of wetlands in Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Pagan. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Ocean Division. Honolulu.
United States Government (1977): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Determination that the Mariana Mallard is an Endangered Species. Federal Register 42: 28136-28137.
United States Government (2004): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Mariana Mallard and the Guam Broadbill From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Federal Register 69: 8116-8119. PDF fulltext
Yamashina, Y. (1948): Notes on the Marianas mallard. Pacific Science 2: 121-124.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Mallard |
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Post by another specialist on May 3, 2009 20:17:05 GMT
 Mariana Mallard (Anas oustaleti) - Also known as the Marianas Island duck, this bird inhabited the Mariana Islands, Guam, Saipan, and Tinian Islands. This species of waterfowl went extinct much more recently than the others I offer, last recorded in 1971. Like many other island species, the fate of these birds is greatly impacted by human interference and unfortunately; this would be this species demise. Mariana Mallard Recreation Images About the bird: The Mariana Mallard was a very dark brown bird, much like that of the North American Mottled duck. While various plumages of this bird were noted, the most common form of them was a generally mottled brown throughout the body, and a dark streak that ran from the base of their bill past their eyes. Black also ran through the top of their head from the base of their bill, back into the upper part of their neck. The feet were an orangish-yellow, and eyes were a dark brown. The males bill was an olive drab color, with a dark line running along the top of their bill from the base to the tip. The female closely resembled the male, much like many species that exist today, when the male’s breeding plumage resembles a typical hen. Purchase this bird: Request the Mallard Duck For the Mariana Mallard I offer a male in breeding plumage on the appropriate habitat. The sexes were similar in appearance, so the need for a pair is not practical. Truly a unique island species, this bird had many wonderful characteristics that make this a great species to own of a bird that no longer exists. While they did not go extinct that long ago, surprisingly few species exist in museums today. Mariana Prices View Complete List Male in breeding plumage $295 aliveagainrecreations.com/mallard.php |
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Post by Melanie on Dec 26, 2009 20:14:25 GMT
No longer considered as distinct species or subspecies Page 30, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Beginning with the 5th edition of Clements Checklist, there has been an entry for an extinct subspecies, oustaletti, formerly found on the Marianas Islands. This entry is incorrect, in two different ways. The correct spelling of the name of the subspecies is oustaleti (with only a single 't' in '-leti'). More importantly, this population probably was not a valid subspecies, but instead was a variable hybrid swarm between Mallard and Gray Duck (Anas superciliosa) (see Y. Ysamashina, 1948, Notes on the Marianas Mallard. Pacific Science 2: 121-124). Therefore, this subspecies no longer is recognized, and is deleted from the Clements Checklist. www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1681698&postcount=9 |
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Post by another specialist on Dec 27, 2009 10:05:05 GMT
But the word probably doesn't confirm it defiantly not valid?
So still questionable in my eyes.
Still needs confirming.
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Post by Melanie on Dec 27, 2009 12:23:33 GMT
Clements is not the only one who dropped this bird from its list. Carboneras 1992 (HBW1) and BLI consider oustaleti to have been a hybrid of platyrhynchos and superciliosa ('unstable' according to HBW); and Dickinson 2003 and Drilling et al 2002 (BNA Online) don't even recognise it as a subspecies. www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=1681470&postcount=8 |
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Post by Melanie on Dec 27, 2009 19:51:51 GMT
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Post by Melanie on Jun 18, 2012 18:20:19 GMT
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Post by Melanie on Dec 7, 2014 12:53:35 GMT
From HBW alive
Anas platyrhynchus entry
Sometimes considered to include some or all of A. laysanensis, A. rubripes, A. fulvigula and A. wyvilliana. Probable unstable hybrids of A. superciliosa and A. laysanensis, A. wyvilliana or present species, found on some Micronesian islands, have been considered a different species, Mariana Duck (A. oustaleti).
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Post by surroundx on Sept 18, 2016 12:14:51 GMT
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Post by surroundx on Jan 26, 2017 12:37:47 GMT
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Post by redpinnipedgamer on Aug 5, 2024 21:33:58 GMT
I have a photo my parents took from Seaworld San Diego late 1979 in a aviary and noticed a duck that highly resembles a mariana mallard (seen behind 2 macaws). The time also matches up when the last few were moved there. I don't know how to upload photos to share it here.
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