12 Review of Madagascar’s wildfowl
©Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
Wildfowl
(2013) 63: 5–23
European collections between the two
World Wars but none survived the second
(Delacour 1959). Madagascar Teal was,
before 1993, only represented in captivity by
one female acquired in 1927 (Delacour
1929). Of these ducks only
A. melleri
elicited
any real interest, and was included in
Konrad Lorenz’s treatise on duck behaviour
originally published in 1941 (see translation:
Lorenz 1971). Lorenz, observing birds bred
by him in captivity, believed that females of
the drab Madagascan species when put in
the company of the bright males of Mallard
A. platyrhynchos
would instinctively be
attracted to them, thus showing the species’
recent origins and isolation on the island of
Madagascar. Lorenz’s views on Meller’s
Duck went untested until recently, however,
and this ecologically unique endemic species
therefore was not accorded the concern it
deserved. Johnsgard (1962) further detailed
dabbling duck displays and included several
displays that Meller’s Duck does not in fact
have, so that in this author’s later work
(Johnsgard 1965) he questioned this duck’s
status as a full species.
Meller’s Duck was introduced to the
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
(Durrell) headquarters in Jersey in 1978
(from the population introduced into
Mauritius) and in common with other
animals at Durrell became the subject of
intense research. It was quickly apparent
that the Madagascan species had no interest
in the local Mallards, and that even female
Meller’s Ducks were aggressive towards
both sexes, chasing them away (thus raising
the possibility that perhaps Lorenz made
observations on Meller’s ducks that had
been foster-reared by Mallards). Study of
the species’ displays showed significant
differences in both repertoire and execution
of the components (Young 1999). Meller’s
Duck also showed a degree of territoriality
rarely seen in dabbling ducks and generally
was more akin to the river-dwelling African
Black Duck
A. sparsa
(Young 1995). Genetic
studies confirmed the Meller’s Duck’s
taxonomic integrity as an older species than
the Mallard, which had previously been
assumed to be its “ancestor” (Young &
Rhymer 1998; Johnson & Sorenson 1999).
Studies have shown this unique duck to be a
specialist of the extensive drainage systems
of eastern Madagascar that may have once
been abundant in the many forested streams
and rivers running off the high plateau.
The first specific study of any
Madagascan duck in the wild took place in
1974 with the Wildfowl Trust (now the
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust: WWT)
expedition to lakes south of Antsalova
(coastal, western Madagascar) in 1973 to
study the Madagascar Teal (Scott & Lubbock
1974). However, there remained many gaps
in knowledge of this species’ basic biology
and it was not until the Durrell/WWT 1992
expedition to the same lakes, and the later
capture of
A. bernieri
for a captive breeding
programme, that this bird could be studied
closely (Green
et al
. 1994; Young 2002). The
first nests in the wild were found in 1997 and
the first eggs were found in 1998 (Young
et
al
. 2001); nesting in the west coast wet season
(Dec–Mar) was also confirmed. The first
description of downy ducklings was made in
2004 (Young & Brayshaw 2004). Genetic
studies again showed the uniqueness of this
species and its affinities to the Australo/
Asian grey teal group (five species, see
