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Ducks and Mallards of Macquarie Island

Entry ID: AADC-00031

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Summary

Abstract: (Abstract from 'The ducks of Macquarie Island')
Early reference to waterfowl on Macquarie Island and observations made by ANARE expeditioners between 1949 and 1985 are reviewed and discussed. Apart from a unique (perhaps erroneous) record of a mute swan Cygnus olor, information is restricted to the Pacific black duck Anas superciliosa, the grey teal A. gibberifrons and the alien mallard A. ... platyrhynchos and its hybrids.

Black duck and grey teal were seen by early visitors to the Island, but despite the infrequent potential for escapes of domestic ducks, mallards were not recorded until 1949. Occasional teal and mallards were seen in the years following the establishment of the permanent scientific station (1948) but mallards (and hybrids) have become more numerous in recent years. Though grey teal may disperse to Macquarie Island in times of drought on the Australian mainland, the source of mallards may be New Zealand or the less distant Campbell and Auckland Islands.

The few available records of breeding (eggs, ducklings and nests) for black duck suggest that laying begins in September and extends at least into January. Zooplankton is most abundant in spring and summer, but ducks may obtain high protein foods from the littoral and sublittoral areas and may also take seeds of terrestrial plants.

Available information does not allow separation of habitats used by black duck or mallards. However, most observations are around coastal areas. There is some indication that records have increased along the south-western and eastern sides of the Island, but generally there are few observations of either species on the higher, central plateau.

The intrusion of mallards onto the Island and the resultant hybridisation with black duck poses a threat for the future integrity of the latter native species.

This dataset contains a review of the data available for Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and grey teal (Anas gibberifrons) and hybrids on Macquarie Island, collected from mid-1949 to January 1985. There is a period of relatively continuous and extensive data between February 1963 and January 1985. Discussion and references about habitat, breeding, feeding and hybrids is provided in the dataset (see the reference given below), as well as distribution maps.

The fields in this dataset are:
Year
Month
Presence/Absence

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: Download page for Australian Antarctic Data Centre

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Citation reference for this metadata record and dataset

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: -54.0

S: -55.0

E: 159.0

W: 158.0

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1949-06-01

Stop Date: 1985-01-01

Location Keywords

OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN

OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN > MACQUARIE ISLAND

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

Science Keywords

BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > BIRDS

BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > SPECIES LIFE HISTORY

ISO Topic Category

BIOTA

Platform

FIELD SURVEYS

FIELD INVESTIGATION

Quality The dataset surveys all known existing records on the ducks and mallards of Macquarie Island. Completeness of the data however, depends on the completeness and accuracy of the source observations made. This dataset is a discussion of the results of previous surveys regarding the ducks and mallards of Macquarie Island. Data from mid-1949 until January 1985 has been surveyed.
However, only data from February 1963 to January 1985 is available in tabular form.

Access Constraints The tabular data (Feb 1963 - Jan 1985) is available from the url below. See the reference for other data.

Use Constraints This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference at the provided URL when using these data.

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Ancillary Keywords

DUCK

MACQUARIE ISLAND

Data Set Progress

IN WORK

Originating Center

AAD

Data Center

Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia

Data Center URL: http://data.aad.gov.au

Data Center Personnel
Name: DATA OFFICER AADC Phone: +61 3 6232 3244 Fax: +61 3 6232 3351 Email: metadata at aad.gov.au Contact Address: Australian Antarctic Division 203 Channel Highway City: Kingston Province or State: Tasmania Postal Code: 7050 Country: Australia

Distribution

Distribution Media: HTTP

Distribution Size: 1 kb

Distribution Format: csv

Fees: free

Personnel

KNOWLES KERRY

Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Phone: +61 3 6260 4216

Email: liz.kerry at keypoint.com.au

Contact Address:

PO Box 89

City: Richmond

Province or State: Tasmania

Postal Code: 7025

Country: Australia

Publications/References

Norman, F.I. (1987) The ducks of Macquarie Island, ANARE Research Notes 42.

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 1999-10-07

Last DIF Revision Date: 2010-06-09

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