Garganey in New Brunswick?

                                                                        Garganey Male

A rare bird alert came out on Monday morning, May 3, 2021.  An extremely rare duck from Europe was seen at Hay Island (Ile-aux-foins) near Neguac, NB.  We had other plans for that day but immediately changed them for a trip north.  Most birders here had not even heard of a Garganey let alone seen one.  A quick check to Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List showed that there have been only two previous records of this species in New Brunswick : a male at Red Head Marsh, Saint John in May, 1979 and a male at Val-Comeau in May, 1990.  Both previous records indicated the Garganey was accompanying Blue-winged Teal which is apparently normal for this highly-migratory species.  In our present visit, it was accompanying Green-winged Teal.

The Garganey is an Euro-Asian species where it is abundant.  It occurs regularly in the extreme western North America: the Aleutians, the Pribilofs and along the Pacific coast.  It occurs rarely in widely scattered spots throughout North America.  Most records are in the spring when the male is easily identified.  The females and eclipse males are difficult to distinguish from female Blue-winged Teal and would be often overlooked.  In Europe the Garganey breeds from Britain and France to central Europe, north to Sweden, through eastern Europe and into Russia.  It winters in tropical Africa.  

                                                                        Garganey Male

The male Garganey in breeding plumage is very impressive.  Move over Green- and Blue-winged Teal.  There is a new kid in town.  The Garganey is a bit bigger than our teal, the Green-winged and the Blue-winged (39 cm compared to 36 and 39 cm).  It is heavier and it shows in profile in the head and bill.   His plumage is remarkable.  His head, neck and breast are a deep cinnamon brown.  He has a humongous white superciliary line.  This wide white line extends in an arc from in front of the eye over the upper aspect of the cheek and down the neck.  See the photo above.  The flanks are a light gray and they are overhung by very beautiful long tertiary feathers that are medium gray and outlined with white.  These two features, the white line and the flashy tertiaries are what you first notice.  The wings have a pale blue shoulder patch and a dark green speculum outlined in white.  This varies somewhat from the Green-winged Teal with a wider white line, the anterior (dorsal)  line being very wide.  The undertail coverts are black and the feathers around the tail are gray mottled.  The photo below shows the speculum clearly.

                                                    Garganey Male Showing Speculum

Gargeney nest near small ponds with abundant floating vegetation.  The 7 to 12 creamy yellow to light olive eggs are laid in a nest on the ground made of grass.  It is usually hidden under a shrub or in tall grass.  The female incubates the eggs 21 to 23 days.  

Garganey feed mainly on plant seeds, pondweeds, grasses and aquatic invertebrates.  They are filter feeders and usually feed by skimming or moving along with their heads under water rather than by upending. 

 

Garganey were one of the species described by Linnaeus in 1758.  They still have the same scientific name, Anas querquedula.