These South Georgia pintails live in our aviaries, it is a small duck that is endemic to one of the remotest places on earth: South Georgia Island, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, 1300 km away from the Falkland Islands of South America.
The South Georgia pintail (Anas georgica georgica) is closely related the Chilean pintail (Anas georgica spinicauda) from the South American mainland. And although our new birds originate from the small 165 km long and 35 km wide island, these particular specimen were bred in Belgium, not so far away.
South Georgia pintails are very rare in aviculture and not many collections breed them. Therefore we are happy we were able obtain these birds, so we can try our best to preserve an ex-situ population for the future.
These pintails are omnivorous and feed by foraging along shores, dabbling for shrimp or clams, and sometimes even feeding on the carcasses of animals like seals and penguins.
When Frank S. Todd observed this distinctly unducklike behaviour, he naturally assumed that the ducks were preying on scavenging invertebrates.
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From: The South Georgia Pintail Anas g. georgica in captivity: history, management and implications for conservation (2002, A. R. Martin):
The captive flock (EU/ UK/ USA) originally descended from a single breeding pair, and reproductive success diminished with successive generations, probably because of inbreeding. Breeding success markedly improved after the introduction of 12 new birds from the wild in 1998. With appropriate care and management, this taxon will breed prolifically. With 13 founders, the genetic diversity of the captive flock in 2002 is probably adequate for the maintenance of a healthy population in the short and medium term.
18 янв 2023
