Three species of ducks threatened with extinction in France

ANIMALS Many ducks have been hunted to the brink of extinction in France, or have simply disappeared from the territory. Discover endangered species in metropolitan France.

A teal (Anas crecca). — Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock

The Teal

It’s the smallest species of surface duck, measuring about 35 cm in length with a wingspan of 53  59 cm. It is widespread in Eurasia and North America. If the female is a dappled brown quite dull, the breeding plumage of the male is spectacular: its highly colored head is reddish brown, barred by an iridescent green band underlined with cream; its body is brown, black and white, and its rump is framed yellow; black.

The species is partially migratory: while part of the Eurasian population migrates to South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, it is mostly sedentary in Eastern Europe. West, especially in France. Individuals are added to the resident population, peaking at 80,000 individuals wintering in France. Teal Habitat – mudflats, swamps, estuaries – is threatened, hence vulnerability of this species, which is also a victim of hunting by humans.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Le Monde des Animaux – magazine (@lemondedes Animaux_magazine)

Access to this content has been blocked in order to respect your choice of consent

By clicking on « I‘ACCEPT», you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners

I ACCEPT

pay 20 Minutes, do not hesitate to accept all cookies, even for one day only, via our “I accept for today” button in the banner below.

More information on the Cookie Management Policy page.

The eider has̀ down

This large diving duck, which can reach 71 cm in length for a wingspan of 108 cm, has a rather fascinating profile. Its elongated head ends in a short beak, and the coloring of the males, black, white, pinkish. and olive green, is very graphic, giving the illusion that the animal has no eyes. Its down is used; by man to make duvets and comforters; it’s from there; its name comes from, the Italian name for the species being edredone. It nests on the coasts of Northern Europe and Canada, the edge of the pack ice, then comes to feed further south in winter, down to our latitudes. As the species is in general decline, it is classified as Near Threatened at the end of the year. globally, and Critically Endangered in France, where a few rare individuals can be seen on the Channel and Brittany coasts.

An eider has̀ down (Somateria mollissima). – Erni/Shutterstock

Marbled teal

This pretty duck with silver plumage é once formed huge colonies throughout the Mediterranean region. Although it is a nomadic bird, it is considered extinct in France because it no longer comes to nest there. It has indeed long been hunting victim – his flesh was appreciated – and its usual habitat, wet marshes, has largely disappeared in France.

The Marbled Teal now breeds in much smaller numbers than it once did at a few rare sites in Spain, North Africa, and various parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. Little is known about its diet, but it is known to feed mainly in shallow fresh water, diving at sea. occasion.

A marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris). – Marek R. Swadzba/Shutterstock

Did you like this article? Find the magazine “Le Monde des Animaux” on newsstands and on monmag.fr (paper and digital versions, and subscriptions).

Le Monde des Animals & de la nature is a quarterly magazine. – The World of Animals n°45

The World of Animals & de la Nature is a magazine dedicated to to wildlife and wild flora from around the world. À Through captivating stories and sublime photographs, the magazine offers a real visual safari in the heart of nature.