Niue's lonely duck

Birds of the islands and waters of the South Pacific.
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Neil Fitzgerald
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Niue's lonely duck

Postby Neil Fitzgerald » Sat Sep 08, 2018 9:48 am

A duck has turned up in Niue. A mallard. The first duck they have had there and the locals are intrigued.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/prog ... ck-in-niue
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Neil Fitzgerald
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Re: Niue's lonely duck

Postby Neil Fitzgerald » Sun Jan 27, 2019 11:31 pm

Trevor the mallard has died. Killed by a dog it seems.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/38 ... a-sad-time
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RussCannings
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Re: Niue's lonely duck

Postby RussCannings » Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:30 am

Tragic indeed!

Wonder what that "weka" is about? Buff-banded Rail?
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David Riddell
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Re: Niue's lonely duck

Postby David Riddell » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:01 am

Probably. According to a Notornis paper on the birds of Niue from 1971 (https://www.notornis.osnz.org.nz/system ... s_18_4.pdf), banded rails are known locally as "veka", and they're described as "very common" at that time, though whether they still are I have no idea. Seems they've had changing fortunes there, listed as "extinct" in 1902, and "very scarce" in 1953.
Saw lots of banded rails in Tonga when I went there in the early 90s - they call them veka there too.
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RussCannings
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Re: Niue's lonely duck

Postby RussCannings » Wed Feb 13, 2019 6:47 am

Thanks David,

I guess we know where Maori got the word 'Weka.'

As for Nuie, I suppose rails could have depopulated the island since the 1950s given how widespread and common they are elsewhere.

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