Аустралиялық сұр үйрек (Anas gracilis) туралы

Species of duck

The grey teal (Anas gracilis) is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in Australia and New Zealand.

It can be identified due to the presence of a crimson coloured iris in its eyes. This crimson colour is relatively more prominent in adult males. It is a mottled brown duck with white and green flashes on its wings. Males and females share the same colouration, in contrast to the related chestnut teal, whose male and female are strikingly different. The grey teal has almost identical colouration to the female chestnut teal and the grey can only be distinguished by its lighter coloured neck and paler face. Juveniles are paler than adults, especially on the head. However, they can be identified by a dull brown eye until matured. The bill of the grey teal is a blue grey colour with dark lining around the edges. Feet are a similar colour to that of the bill being grey. If we have to draw a tendency we could say that body moult (including wings) generally occurs between the months of January to March when it is late summer or early winter. However, it can also be seen in the Solomons and New Caledonia where it is vagrant.

The grey teal is a self introduced species to New Zealand from Australia, where it is much more abundant. It was rare in New Zealand until the 1950s when several natural events in Australia led to a huge increase in numbers. Now it is a very common waterbird that can be found throughout New Zealand, However, there are areas where the species are more concentrated (larger populations) such as the districts of Hawke's Bay, Waikato, South Auckland and Otago. Anas gracilis has also been seen wandering in the small New Zealand islands such as Chatham Islands (July 1951, December 1998) or Snares Islands (November 1987). which aids the rearing and survival of juveniles. The grey teal also prefers areas that have a sizeable marginal cover (meaning sufficient plant and vegetation growth around the margins),

Nesting is usually solitary for the grey teal; however, sometimes nesting sites will be close together, meaning breeding pairs may be close to one and other. Nesting time occurs between the months of June February in South Australia and slightly later in the area of North Australia – and directed. Either way, “these flights occurred over distances up to across the arid inland.”. To obtain seeds, grey teal will strip them from the aquatic vegetation. Although this disease usually is asymptomatic (infected but shows no symptoms) if severe the infection can result in weakness, lameness and loss of muscle tissue.

The grey teal, Anas gracilis, is fully protected in New Zealand. The population was estimated at 20,000 birds in 1976 and has increased to 50,000 in 2005. Considering that now the grey teal is a common bird in the island, the government considered adding the duck to the game bird list when the Wildlife Act was reviewed in 2010. However it did not occur and the bird kept its conservation status. According to John Dyer, northern Wildlife Manager, Auckland Waikato Fish and Game Council, this decision caused some troubles between the Department of Conservation and the hunters that felt “misled for decades”. Indeed, along with the conservation status come penalties if one kills the bird. Yet, it is difficult for hunters not to shoot grey teal as it is numerous and often be seen flying among huge flocks of game ducks. At least 6% of the grey teal population is shot during the hunting season. On the contrary, in Australia the grey teal is one of the most common birds shot during the hunting season. For instance, in 2014, in the state of Victoria the hunting season lasted 3 months – while it only lasts 5 weeks in New Zealand – and hunters could shoot up to 10 grey teal daily.