Tag Archives: Mareca marecula (Olson & Jouventin)

Anas marecula Olson & Jouventin

Amsterdam Island Duck (Anas marecula)

The Amsterdam Island Duck, aka. Amsterdam Wigeon was described in 1996 based on subfossil bones that were found on the Île Amsterdam in the subantarctic part of the Indian Ocean.

This duck species was rather small and apparently completely flightless.

There is also a contemporaneous account that mentions this duck species and that is often falsely assigned to a population of ducks on another island, the Île Saint-Paul, which lies about 80 km away from Île Amsterdam. :

Anas, A small brown Duck, not much larger than a thrush, and apparently not described by naturalists.” [1]

If this account is read carefully, however, it is very clear that it is speaking about the ducks found on Amsterdam Island.

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References:

[1] John Barrow: A voyage to Cochinchina, in the years 1792 and 1793. To which is annexed an account of a journey made in the years 1801 and 1802, to the residence of the chief of the Booshuana nation. London: printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies 1806
[2] Storrs L. Olson; Pierre Jouventin: A new species of small flightless duck from Amsterdam Island, southern Indian Ocean (Anatidae: Anas). The Condor 98(1): 1-9. 1996

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edited: 10.11.2021