Laysan Duck

Anas laysanensis

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About the Laysan Duck

The Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis), also known as the Laysan teal, and sometimes known by its Hawaiian name, koloa pōhaka, is a dabbling duck endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Fossil evidence reveals that Laysan ducks once lived across the entire archipelago, but today survive only on Laysan Island and two atolls. The duck has several physical and behavioral traits linked to the absence of ground-based predators in its habitat. By 1860, the ducks had disappeared from everywhere except Laysan Island. The introduction of European rabbits by guano miners at the end of the 19th century brought the bird to the brink of extinction in 1912, with twelve surviving individuals. Rabbits were eradicated from the island in 1923 and numbers of Laysan ducks began to rise, reaching 500 by the 1950s.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name: Anas laysanensis
Family: Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
Order: Anseriformes

Similar species

Other members of the ducks, geese, and waterfowl family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

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