well established, as it appears to be in very serious trouble in the wild. The Marbled real Frank Todd (1979) presented an esti­ mate of as few as 21,000 throughout an unheralded achievement of aviculture this bird's fragmented range: south­ ern Spain, North Africa, Cyprus, (Marmoronetta angustirostrisj Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, parts of byJosef H. Lindholm III, LeadAviculturist Soviet central Asia, and western Emerald Forest Bird Gardens Pakistan, wintering within this range, Fallbrook, California and northern India as well. It is cer­ tainly much rarer than it was. Low The Iraqi port of Basra has been Instead of eating, the ducklings (1929) stated its distribution to be the much in the news of late, the site of "jumped against the coop sides, "southern districts of Europe, partic­ the disappearance of a number of climbed their foster mothers' backs ularly Sardinia and the Asiatic bor­ (eventually reappearing) journalists, and jumped and jumped and jumped. ders:' It is certainly now extinct in and a brief stronghold of temporarily As anyone who has reared Carolina Sardinia, its non-Soviet European victorious Shiites in rebellion against (wood) or Mandarins knows, a range now being Spain, where it has the Saddam Hussein regime. As Iraq's jumping duckling is a non-feeding gone from being "one of the most third largest city and its principle duckling" Oones, 1951). They were common of Spanish ducks" at the port, Basra, established in the thir­ eventually induced to settle down turn of the century to less than 100 teenth century, has long been a vital and eat when the solid lids of their pairs in the Guadalquivar Delta center of export in the Middle East, coops were replaced with glass panes, (Todd, 1979; Ripley, 1974). The cur­ especially for dates and, of course, torn out of the windows of Terry rent population in Pakistan is petroleum. During the Second World Jones' "pigeon cote;' but not before a descended from birds bred in Slim­ War, Allied supplies to the Soviet number had died. bridge in 1969, released in the Lal Union wre routed through there. After this initial difficulty, great Suhanra Reserve under the auspices And, in 1948, nine five-or-six-week­ numbers of Marbled Teal were reared of the World Wildlife Fund (Ripley, old ducklings were flown from Basra at Leckford and Slimbridge, and soon 1974; Kolbe, 1979). Todd (1979) did to England, the ancestors of all the many other places as well. The Phila­ not consider this reintroduction to captive Marbled Teal now in England, delphia Zoo, then the largest U.S. col­ have met with "much success:' The Europe and America (Ripley, 1974). lection ofwaterfowl, started breeding situation in Iraq and Iran cannot have These nine birds were imported by them in 1962, and the Miami Zoo, been helped by years of war between The Wildfowl Trust, whose facility at then located in Crandon Park, fol­ these countries or more recent devel­ Slimbridge would shortly become lowed in 1963 (Zoological Society of opments there. Most likely, the and remain the home of the world's London, 1964 & 1965). Volume 28, Marbled Teal's descent towards largest collection of ducks, geese and the latest number of the International extinction has progressed with the swans, with a renowned breeding Zoo Yearbook (Zoological Society of environmental degradation of the record. In 1984, however, the Trust London, 1990) lists nine public insti­ Mediterranean Basin and the Mideast, had been in existence less than two tutions that bred Marbled Teal in so graphically portrayed in David years. Thus five were shortly sent to 1986; two in Holland (Amsterdam Attenborough's (1987) television Leckford, the aviaries of British raised 21), two British collections, series and book, The First Eden, a department store magnate John one south African, Tel Aviv Univer­ process spanning hundreds of years. Spedan Lewis, at Hants. Almost alone sity, the Sea Worlds at Orlando and It may be difficult to comprehend of the great waterfowl collections of San Diego, and the Denver Zoo. that North Africa was, in the fourth Europe, Leckford's had survived the The Marbled Teal is not an expen­ century, A.D., the "bread basket" of War intact, and was then the major sive bird, as waterfowl go. A pair can the western Roman empire, while source of captive-bred waterfowl. be obtained directly from a breeder Egypt was the corresponding source Jean Delacour's collection, almost for roughly the same price as a of grain for Constantinople and its totally wiped out during the Nazi wholesale Goffin's Cockatoo, less realm. This duck probably once occupation of France, was, to a large than the usual retail price of a pair of occurred throughout the entire degree, reconstructed from Leckford Gouldian Finches. On one breeder's region. birds when Cleres was restored as a list, they cost twice as much as Wood The Marbled Teal is an ideal begin­ public exhibit in 1947. Ducks and Black Ducks; slightly more ner's duck, being totally winter hardy Although Marbled Teal had first than Mandarins, Cinnamon Teal, (Rutgers and Norris, 1970) and doing bred in England in 1900 (Rutgers and Ringed Teal, and Fulvous and Black­ perfectly well on standard commer­ Norris, 1970), they had totally died bellied Tree Ducks; the same as Com­ cial duck feeds. At Emerald Forest out, and the five ducklings from Basra mon Shovelers, Indian Spotbills, Bird Gardens, our first specimen, a were the first that Terry Jones, Leck­ Bahama Pintails and Wandering Tree female, arrived from Sea World of ford's curator, had seen alive. Jones Ducks; somewhat less than Cape Teal, Florida, Orlando, in August of 1990. (1951) presented a detailed account BraZilian Teal, Chiloe Wigeon, Lesser Until the arrival of a male in early of his initial work with them. The Scaup, or Ruddy Shelducks; and con­ April 1991 from Sylvan Heights ducklings proved to be two males and siderably less than Common Shel­ Waterfowl (North Carolina), Amer­ three females. In 1950, two of them ducks, Baikal and Falcated Teal, ica's largest current waterfowl collec­ laid eggs, in clutches of 10 to 12. Set Chestnut Teal, White-faced Tree tion, this female, though associating under Bantams, the eggs took 25 days Ducks, Northern Ruddy Ducks, or freely with other species, showed no to hatch. Ducklings and Bantams Hooded Mergansers. reproductive interest in any of them. were transferred to lidded coops. It is fortunate that this species is so Moments after the release of the male 24 June / July 1991 E (5 ..c "'0 c :.=J :i Q) oCf) J S o (5 ..c 0... A pair ofMarbled Teal) female in the foreground; Muscovy Duck (wild) at left. from his container, both Marbled Teal appear to imply a relationship to the were in close company, and less than Pochard tribe Gohnsgard, 1978; a week later the male was seen fre­ Todd, 1979), leading Paul ]ohnsgard quently displaying to the female. The to conclude they belong to genus of male's courtship display is distinc­ their own, Marmaronetta. This tive, if simple: the head is held separation implies that Marbled Teal straight up on a stretched neck, then are a rather ancient bird, compara­ pulled sharply backwards - rather tively, as the designation of genera in reminiscent of a mask-bearer in a modern systematic zoology should Chinese New Year's Lion Dance. We indicate, among other things, a are fortunate in having a pair whose period of geologic time since their sexes are readily apparent. While our separation, rather than simply dis­ female has the barest suggestion of a tinct physical traits. It would, there­ crest, the male has quite a full one, fore, make the extinction of this like that of a female Wood Duck,. and species all the more tragic. Thus, all his beak is dark, in contrast to the efforts should be made to ensure that female's largely yellowish one with a Marbled Teal continue to be well rep­ dark bridge, reminiscent of that of a resented and easily available in Sharp-winged Teal. These distin­ captivity. Given their peacefulness guishing features are not always so with other species, and their hardi­ well pronounced (Todd, 1979). The ness, they deserve a place in every pattern of the plumage of both birds collection of waterfowl. is identical, a beautiful and subtle References dappling, making the common name Attenborough, D., 1987. The First Eden: The most appropriate. Marbled Teal bare a Mediterranean World and Man. Little, remarkable resemblance to the South Brown. American Crested Duck (Anas specu­ Johnsgard, P.A., 1978. Ducks) Geese and Swans ofthe World. University of ebra ka larioides)) which are probably not Press. closely related Gohnsgard, 1978; Jone , T., 1951. Marbled teal (Anas angustiro­ Todd, 1979). Two obvious differences stris). AviculturalMagazine LVII, 183-184. are the much larger size ofthe Crested Kolbe, H., 1979. Ornamental Waterfowl. Edi­ tion Leipzig. Duck, and the Marbled Teal's absence Low, G.C., 1929. List of the vertebrated ani­ of a speculum, the shiny patch of mals exhibited in the gardens ofthe Zoolo­ wing feathers found in all members of gical Society ofLondon) 1828-1927. II. the true Teal genus Anas) which also Ripley, S.D., 1974. Endangered Waterfowl of includes Mallards, Wigeons, Gad­ the world. In Hyde, D.O. (Ed.) 1974. Rais­ ing wild ducks in captivity. Clarke, Irwin & walls, Pintails and Shovelers. Co., Ltd., Toronto & Vancouver. Marbled Teal are further distin­ Todd, FS., 1979. Waterfowl - Ducks) Geese guished from the genus Anas by the and Swans of the World. Sea World Press/ lack of a separate eclipse (non­ Harcourt BraceJovanovich. Zoological Society of London.