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How many Waterfowl (Anatidae) species have you seen?

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Tetzoo Quizzer, 10 Mar 2021.

  1. Tetzoo Quizzer

    Tetzoo Quizzer Well-Known Member

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    Following on from the Pigeon and Dove thread, how many Waterfowl species have you seen? This time, I can start with 131 in the wild; I’ll count up captives I can add in due course.
     
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  2. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    36 in the wild, not going to try to figure out captive ones.
     
  3. Terry Thomas

    Terry Thomas Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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    I believe that I was the first person to care for every Australian waterfowl species at the same time. This was at CSIRO Wildlife Division in the ACT in 1965, when a study was being conducted by Doc. H.J.Frith. I have since also observed and filmed, or photographed, every one in the wild.
     
  4. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    74 total, which is pretty good. 37 species wild.
     
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  5. nczoofan

    nczoofan Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    112 in captivity and 31 in the wild. Thankfully I have an organized database to look this stuff up :D
     
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  6. BerdNerd

    BerdNerd Well-Known Member

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    I've seen 38 total species in captivity and 34 of those species exclusively in captivity. I've also seen 7 species in the wild and 4 of those species exclusively in the wild.
     
  7. TheChukaulorian

    TheChukaulorian Well-Known Member

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    11 wild and native
    - Chiloe wigeon
    - Spectacled duck
    - Yellow-billed pintail
    - Rosy-billed pochard
    - Yellow-billed teal
    - Cinnamon teal
    - Red shoveler
    - Coscoroba
    - Black-necked swan
    - Kelp goose
    - Flightless steamer duck

    3 feral:
    - Mallard duck
    - Muscovy duck
    - Swan goose

    And many more captive ones, I can't remember them all, most notorious would be the red-breasted goose, Bar-headed goose, nene, Andean goose and Puna teal.
     
  8. lintworm

    lintworm Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I'm on 145 species, of which 75 in the wild and 140 in captivity. Given how widespread these are in European collections (Cologne alone holds more than 100 species...), many other will have seen loads as well. There are only a few species I have only seen in the wild: Torrent Duck, Falkland Steamer Duck, Lake Duck, Velvet Scoter and Kelp Goose.
     
  9. Tetzoo Quizzer

    Tetzoo Quizzer Well-Known Member

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    I know I have seen at least 9 more in captivity, giving me 140 in total.
     
  10. carl the birder

    carl the birder Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    i am on 43, 44 if you spit the bean gose
    all but 7 in the wild 6 if the baical teal i saw this year get acepted as a genuin
    and all of the wild once beside 3 i have sean in my home contry
    rarest thing is probebly wild swan goose
     
    Last edited: 11 Mar 2021
  11. CMP

    CMP Well-Known Member

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    2- Mallard duck and Canadian goose :D

    I just started counting in 2021 and haven't been to any zoos yet since I started keeping track. I've undoubtedly seen more, but for the sake of consistency all of my lists only go back to January 1st
     
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  12. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    The only ones I’ve not seen would be ones that aren’t kept in captivity outside their native area. So I’ve not seen Salvadori’s Duck, Masked Duck or Brazilian Merganser.
     
  13. Tetzoo Quizzer

    Tetzoo Quizzer Well-Known Member

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    What about Madagascar Pochard, Andaman Teal, Eaton’s Pintail, Chubut Steamer Duck? I presume you assume Crested Shelduck and Pink-headed Duck are extinct.
     
  14. Andrew Swales

    Andrew Swales Well-Known Member

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    Torrent Ducks at Pensthorpe and Kelp Geese at Flamingo Gardens... both in England.
     
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  15. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    And none of those are kept outside their native area. I may have seen the last of WWT’s Kerguelen Pintail.
    I live in hope that the last two aren’t extinct. Never seen Crested Shelduck, obvs. Handled a Pink-headed Duck skin....
     
  16. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    I've been fortunate enough to see a total of 169 waterfowl taxa (and 143 species) across captive and wild settings - largely due to the fact I reached Blackbrook Zoo, and the extremely large collection of waterfowl held there, before it finally closed down.

    In terms of wild waterfowl in particular, I have seen a total of 57 taxa and 50 species..... which I don't think is too bad going, given the fact my birdwatching experience has been limited to western and central Europe!

    I have to admit to mild surprise that you have never seen captive Lake Duck! I've seen all three of the latter species in captivity myself, but the Lake Duck isn't particularly uncommon as far as I know.
     
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  17. Maguari

    Maguari Never could get the hang of Thursdays. 15+ year member Premium Member

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    I'm on 148 species (going by IOC taxonomy and taking 'waterfowl' as including Magpie Goose but not screamers - knock one off for strictly Anatidae :D ).

    As TLD says, Blackbrook was a massive help back when it was a thing..! Kelp Goose, Steller's Eider, loads of weird stuff. Between there and the WWT collections over the years the coverage on my list just within UK zoos is pretty good.

    I've seen 53 of those 148 in the wild.

    By my quick count-up, of the definitely-extant species I'm missing:

    Chubut Steamer Duck
    Torrent Duck
    Salvadori's Teal
    Eaton's Pintail
    Andean Teal
    Auckland Teal
    Campbell Teal
    Madagascan Pochard
    Surf Scoter
    White-winged Scoter
    Stejneger's Scoter
    Black Scoter
    Brazilian Merganser
    Masked Duck
    Andean Duck
    Blue-billed Duck
    Musk Duck

    So mostly classic 'difficult' species for Europeans. I need to get my scoter act together, it seems!

    Some of the more obscure ducks at Blackbrook are among my priorities to get scanned on my current furtle through my old prints - in particular I've got Grey Teal down as a species I photographed there, whereas ZTL only notes the previously-conspecific Sunda Teal for Blackbrook, so that could well be a mislabel - I'm hoping I've got an image good enough that I can check for bulbous foreheads. :D
     
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  18. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    You *may* actually have White-winged Scoter - it is unclear whether the population formerly held at Walsrode were Velvet, White-winged or hybrids, given the fact they didn't look entirely right for the former species despite being labelled thus.

    I am now trying to work out what the "odd ones out" at species level are between our two lists - Steller's Eider and Falkland Eider are definitely two, but that leaves two other species, given I didn't count Magpie Goose in my 143.
     
  19. Maguari

    Maguari Never could get the hang of Thursdays. 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Yeah, I've kinda given up on those. I've seen wild Velvet so Velvet is safely listed either way.

    Blue Duck for one?
     
  20. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    Ah yes, that's a definite "miss" on my part!