It does not have the large eyes of the Iberian lynx nor its pointed ears, nor a name as astonishing and promising as that of “bearded vulture” and it is certainly not attributed to the epic that the hunting species bear, but rather to him. is generally extremely easy prey for many. It is in fact a haggard-looking bird whose last name, which refers to its color, is “pardilla”. Perhaps this is why few people know that this species of teal is one of the seven critically endangered species in our country and the most endangered duck in Europe.
Gray teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) “it’s a duck with a friendly character, very docile, sometimes too docile,” explains Claudine De le Court, wildlife surveillance technician at the Ministry of the Environment and Water of Andalusia, laughing as she walking in the Brazo del Brazo Natural Park. East of the Guadalquivir, located 17 kilometers south of Seville. “He is very small, but he is a great traveler. He makes impressive trips. It’s a very beautiful species, with its spots…” describes De le Cort, who is one of the coordinators of the Life Gray Teal project which is trying to save the bird from extinction.
The teal lives divided between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. On our continent they are concentrated almost exclusively in the humid areas of Spain. Thanks to the project, we currently have around 125 couples. Until the mid-20th century, it was abundant in Mediterranean coastal wetlands, particularly in Doñana. However, in 2009 the species reached its lowest point in our country, with 22 females with their young. Today, only 10% of the global population of this bird is found in the Europe/North Africa region.
The main reason for its decline was and still is the degradation of its habitat (wetlands, the most threatened ecosystem on Earth).
The main reason for this decline was and still is the degradation of its habitat (wetlands, the most threatened ecosystem on Earth). Added to this are other impacts such as accidental hunting, poaching, predatory pressure or diseases associated with poor water quality.
“The parrot needs wetlands because it is very selective in its food and needs the vegetation that grows in this type of environment to feed,” explains De le Court. The reproductive success of the species is closely linked to adequate water levels in wetlands, which is why it nests only in spaces where there is sufficient liquid during part of the summer to attempt to ensure the survival of its young. It uses fresh or salt water wetlands, although it prefers brackish water, with dense emergent and submerged vegetation.
An emblem of wetlands and a possible success story
Efforts to bring the Gray Teal out of critical danger are currently co-funded by the European Commission to the tune of six million euros. One of the ideas is that by saving the habitat, the duck will be saved: a double benefit since, in doing so, some 3,000 hectares of wetlands in poor condition will be recovered, among other things, due to overexploitation of water. , agricultural pollution and climate change.
The Brazo del Este Natural Park, where a dozen specimens were released this week, has become a crucial place for these little ducks, since it acts as an alternative habitat to Doñana, as “plan B”, when the conditions of this mythical place is not favorable and represents a resting point on the migratory scale. It acts as a “great gas station” for birds before heading to the African continent.
One of the actions that has been done is to put a “little red backpack” there, which is a GPS transmitter for tracking.
And what happens to this little duck once it leaves our peninsula? “This is part of what we need to know,” says Ignacio Torres, deputy director of Biodiversity and Climate Change at the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Ecological Transition. One of the actions that has been carried out is to put in place a sort of red backpackwhich is a GPS transmitter to track where they go, when they return and how they are. These transmitters were placed on 95 individuals and rings on 3,000.
The GPS is powered by tiny solar panels, allowing continuous tracking. When one of the birds dies, it sounds “pi…”. “If several ‘pi…’ are heard at the same time, we can guess that they probably died from hunting,” explains Torres. Those who survive, he points out, travel to North Africa and visit five wetlands until they find the ideal spot.
They are trying to establish relationships with stakeholders in the conservation of African territory to try to ensure that the project is not limited to our area, even if, they emphasize, this proves difficult. From 2025, data corresponding to the African census will be available.
Andalusia (with spaces like Doñana and Brazo del Este), the Valencian Community (with natural parks like El Hondo and L’Albufera de Valencia) and the Region of Murcia (thanks to the Laguna de las Moreras) played a key role. communities to this demanding conservation project, to which the Gray Teal responds particularly well, but they are not the only ones. “It was decided to increase the geographical distribution because it rains more and more irregularly in our country. They were released in Albacete, in the Balearic Islands, in the Community of Madrid and are moving further and further north… We have to put our eggs in several baskets,” comments Yolanda Cortés, coordinator of Life, highlighting the joke.
Currently, the number of specimens initially proposed to be achieved through the captive breeding program has tripled: almost 3,000 birds have been released, far more than the 1,000 planned. “Another of our goals was to maintain at least 125 breeding pairs this year. We don’t know the total number yet but we have a feeling we’re going to be very close. Soon it could become one of those success stories,” says Ignacio Torres. “They are emblems of wetlands. “This duck allows us to intervene on them, since the ideal environment for this bird is made up of water sheets 20 centimeters deep, good water conditions and refuge areas.”
Despite these good results, assures the project coordinator, this is only the beginning: there is still a long way to go before leaving the category of critically endangered species. “125 couples is very insufficient. This must be maintained over the years,” he emphasizes. Indeed, in 2023 and because of the drought, the reproductive success of the Teal decreased considerably: there was a drop of 35% compared to the previous year and it went from 740 to 480 chicks. The project ends next year and, consequently, all associated European funding, but from then on a second part will begin, where maintenance work will be carried out: “After Life”.
The infinite synergies that make this possible
Cortés explains that “the beautiful thing is that the general administration, the autonomous administrations, the town halls, the owners and also the breeder work together! »
You involve not only governments or ministries in conservation, but also the people who are actually on the ground.
Yolanda Cortés
— Life Coordinator Teal Pardilla
To protect the gray teal, 141 hectares of wetlands were purchased and ten stewardship agreements were entered into, which consist of voluntary agreements between land owners or users with a land stewardship entity, which is usually a conservation entity, such as ANSE or SEO. Avifauna. In the Brazo del Este, for example, an agreement was reached with a user – the owner of the use of pastures in the area – so that, in exchange for providing valves capable of keeping the territory flooded, he allows any a series of conservation actions on its territory.
“This land management tool is very beautiful and valuable because, in a way, you involve not only governments or ministries, but also the people who are actually on the ground, in conservation. Ultimately, what is not possible is to only carry out conservation in natural parks or on public lands, because most of the territory is private,” explains the coordinator. Based on these synergies, rice water is transferred, livestock is used to control vegetation or hydrological management is carried out in favor of the project. Some of these actions will also benefit other aquatic species such as the Moorish coot, the white-headed duck or the brown pochard.
Ignacio Torres, although he celebrates the way the pardilla responds to conservation efforts, assures that it is still a plot that does not solve the root of the problem, such as the climate crisis or the violation of ecosystems by humans: “We must restore all possible habitats from now on. This is the way to turn the situation around. We cannot spend 6 million euros on each animal. We must restore, make economic activities more sustainable and look for other models.
