Harteman Wildfowl Aviaries

One female Madagascar teal made it to Europe alive in 1927 and lived in Jean Delacour's collection for nine years. However, this bird never laid eggs nor received male companionship. From 1992, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust organized expeditions to Madagascar to better understand Madagascar teal in the wild. Since 1993, a breeding program was initiated by Durrell who imported teal from Madagascar to Jersey Zoo in 1993, 1995 and 1998. This involved four males in 1993, two males and two females in 1995 and three males in 1998. In 1998 the first young hatched at Jersey Zoo.

 

All Madagascar teals in aviculture are subject to a loan agreement with the Government of Madagascar. Since the first teals reached Jersey Zoo, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has maintained the international studbook for this species. Since 2020 the EAZA Ex-situ Program (EEP), maintained by Jersey Zoo, replaced the studbook. In the early years, several young teals were bred both in Jersey Zoo and in private collections in England. All collections to which these teals moved signed an agreement for the management and conservation of this species with the studbook keeper. Somewhere in the last twenty years one or more people have not kept to this agreement and as a result Madagascar teal have ended up in private collections, and in doing so these birds are no longer part of the studbook. At the moment we can speak of two populations in aviculture, namely birds that are managed by the studbook and a population that is kept in private collections that are not part of the studbook. Ultimately, all Madagascar teal ​​in aviculture are covered by the loan agreement with the Government of Madagascar.

 

Experience with Madagascar teal

These elegant and active ducks are great addition to the collection, especially when kept fully winged in a spacious aviary. They like to spend time at height in the aviary, roosting on a perch, a piece of rope or on a nest box. Their flight is very agile and fairly slow. In flight, the white wing feathers and black speculum are clearly visible. For their well-being and for our pleasure, a spacious aviary in which they can stretch their wings is therefore an absolute must.

 

I kept these teals in pairs in an aviary of 4 by 5 meters (2.5 m high) with two ponds of a few square meters. And together with several conspecifics, up to 3 pairs, in an aviary of approximately 12 by 15 meters (2.5 to 4 m high) with three ponds of a total of more than 60 m2. Because both sexes are alike all year round, I determine the gender by vent sexing. Then I add a split ring to each bird. This allows me to recognize individual birds that are housed in an aviary with several conspecifics and I can immediately see which individual animals are paired as soon as pairs have been formed.

 

This teal is known to aviculturists as fairly aggressive, but in my experience, this is not the case. In the ten years that I have kept these teal in my aviaries, I have never seen them really aggressive towards other species of birds. Sometimes they even got chased away by ringed teal (Callonetta leucophrys). However, Durrell has experience with individual birds which chase after and even kill larger ducks (Young, G.H., pers. comm.). They are not very aggressive towards their peers, but the pairs do argue a lot, mainly in the spring and summer (breeding season). The pairs never form groups, not even during the moult or after the breeding season, but tolerate each other's presence if there is sufficient space. Here it is the females who cause trouble and incite the males. They do not injure each other, but only chase each other away. In my experience these teals can easily be kept together with several pairs in a spacious aviary. Multiple Madagascar teals in one aviary ensures that the birds are a lot more active and communicate with each other a lot. If a pair wants to separate themselves from the rest, they usually do this at height in the aviary, so sufficient perches are a must.

 

Madagascar teal are a relative hardy species. In the winter, some individuals may get wet feathers, so a shelter is advisable, but in my experience a number of heat lamps under a shelter are sufficient. Of course, the water should always remain free of ice, but this is recommended for all waterfowl.

 

Pellets, duck grain or turtle dove seeds, floating and occasionally duckweed (Lemna sp.) are fed as food. Our birds are always kept in a mixed aviary with other duck species. When I kept them separately in their own aviary, I limited their menu to just pellets and some seeds. During the moulting period, these teal are quite shy and appreciate it if they have enough plants to retreat to.

 

Madagascar teal ​​have been on the CITES appendix II since 1975 and on the EU listing Annex B of the EU wildlife trade regulations (European basic regulation) since 1997. This means that we need to keep records of this species and each individual animal kept in the collection to prove origin of the birds. Proving the origin is made easier with the help of closed leg rings that are included in the record keeping. In aviculture Madagascar teal can get at least 10 years old, but there is also an individual known that has passed 17 years.

 

In our collections, we must ensure that these teal do not cross with related species, such as the Sunda or Indonesian teal (Anas gibberifrons). It is therefore advisable never to house these two species together.

Above: cover of the Aviornis International magazine, February 2022. 

Above: adult pair of Madagascar teal, female left and male right.

Breeding experience with Madagascar teal

I prefer natural reproduction and I always let the ducks incubate the eggs themselves, and if possible, also raise their own ducklings. Incubating the eggs and raising the ducklings themselves is an important part of the birds' welfare and part of their natural behaviour. Unfortunately, it is not always possible for them to raise the ducklings themselves, mainly because I keep them together with other waterfowl species in one aviary. The chance of losing eggs and ducklings while letting the parents look after their own brood is slightly larger, but it is of great added value for animal welfare and our own enjoyment.

 

Madagascar teal form year-round pairs that even stay together for several years. They are cavity nesters and prefer nesting places that are installed as high as possible in the aviary. Our nest boxes are installed at a height of 2 to 3 meters. Preference is given to closed nest boxes, but braided willow duck baskets are used as well. In the Netherlands we can expect the first eggs in May. The number of eggs per clutch varies between 3 and 9, which are on average 45mm long and 35mm wide, with an average weight of 30 grams. Only the female incubates and after 25-28 days of incubation, the ducklings hatch. The male keeps watch near the nest and will defend the female and ducklings. The female is the only one of the two that keeps the ducklings warm. If parent breeding and rearing is done with this species, it is recommended that they are housed in pairs, as they chase conspecifics away. Ducklings are quite small and vulnerable and, therefore, I have never taken the risk of rearing them with their parents with other waterfowl species in one aviary. If I can't let the birds take care of their own ducklings, I remove the eggs from the nest a day before hatching. I hatch the eggs in an incubator and then transfer them to a polyester rearing tub that has a dry area and a swimming area. The swimming area is covered for the first two days and drinking water is offered in a low bowl. Both swimming and drinking water are changed several times a day. The ducklings are fed micro floating pellets and duckweed. Depending on the clutch size, I move the ducklings to a larger enclosure with swimming area after 7 or 14 days. After about three weeks I switch from micro floating pellets to rearing pellet and as soon as the ducklings are fully feathered, they are fed waterfowl maintenance pellet and I move them to an aviary.

 

Parent breeding and rearing works best if only one pair of teal is kept in the aviary. As soon as the female leaves the nest with the ducklings, the male joins the family. The family soon enters the water and care must be taken to ensure that the ducklings can easily get out of the pond. I feed the ducklings with micro floating and duckweed and there is always breeding pellet for waterfowl mixed with turtle dove seed offered for the parents. The ducklings only warm up under the female. The moment the juveniles fledge and are able to fly, and they would leave their parents in nature, I catch the young. Shortly afterwards, the male and the female moult at the same time.

 

These teal grow less quickly than, for example, ringed teal. There is some leeway to ring the ducklings, which I do at the age of 10-15 days with a 8.0mm closed ring. The ducklings weigh on average 20 grams at hatching and of five ducklings we weighed the average weight at 2 weeks was 92 grams, after 3 weeks 106 grams, after four weeks 151 grams, after five weeks 196 grams and after six weeks 255 grams. The first feathers came through after two weeks and the first primary flight feathers after three weeks. The flight feathers grow 3-5mm per day and ducklings can be estimated on age by their wing measurement. After four weeks, the chest and tail of the chick is completely feathered. The back and body are still down. After five weeks there is only down on the lower back. After six weeks the wing feathers are well present and the juveniles start with the first flights. The white wing feathers are clearly visible around this age. After about 50 days, the young Madagascar teal are able to fly.