Marbled duck

Tierpark Berlin is committed to the conservation and reintroduction of marbled ducks in Spain.

Projektinfo

  • Project partner

    Zoobotánico Jerez and the Consorci per a la Recuperació de la Fauna de las Illes Balears (COFIB)

  • Species

    Marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris)

  • IUCN threatened status

    Vulnerable (VU)

  • Project location

    Mallorca, Spanien

  • Greatest threat

    Destruction of habitat

  • Response

    Setting up breeding programmes; releasing zoo-bred marbled ducks into the wild

Threat Categories of IUCN

Once a common sight

Tierpark Berlin has been home to marbled ducks since 1961. These small ducks were once common across Central Asia and the Mediterranean region – including large parts of Spain. The species favours shallow waters with dense reed growth, but this type of habitat is becoming increasingly hard to find.

Draining resources

Destruction of their habitat and breeding sites has resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of marbled ducks left in the wild. The ducks’ habitat is primarily being destroyed by the draining of wetlands for agricultural expansion. In 2007, only three breeding pairs were known to be living in Mallorca. The marbled duck is therefore designated “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. That is the same classification given to, for example, the African elephant and the Indian rhinoceros.

A fresh start on the island

In 2009, a project for the reintroduction of marbled ducks was launched in the S’Albufera Natural Park in the northeast of Mallorca. The wetland area in this park is one of the most important in the Balearics. In 2017, Tierpark Berlin teamed up with Opel Zoo Kronberg in Germany and Zoobotánico Jerez in Spain to organise the release of 25 zoo-bred ducks into the Mallorcan park – including, for the first time, nine ducks hatched at the Tierpark. By now more than 40 ducks, hatched at the Tierpark Berlin could be release back into their natural habitat.

I consent to being shown external content. This may result in personal data being transmitted to third-party platforms. More details can be found in our data protection statement.

    Marbled ducks at Tierpark Berlin

    More than 40 Marbled ducks hatched at Tierpark Berlin have been returned to their natural habitat.

    The future looks bright

    By 2020, more than 140 marbled ducks had already been successfully released into the wild. And the future looks promising for these feathered expats: the ducks released in recent years have clearly settled in well, and some breeding pairs have been discovered.

    Opening hours

    Today, 7. December
    9:00 - 16:00
    Last admission: 15:30
    All opening hours

    Feedings & Trainings

    • Polar bear talk 11:00
    • Giraffe-Talk 12:30
    All feedings