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Bird name:

Laysan Duck

Anas laysanensis

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

LAYD

Code 6

ANALAY

ITIS

175119

Breeding Location:

Bushes and shrubs



Breeding Type:

Monogamous



Breeding Population:

Endangered



Egg Color:

Buff to pale green



Number of Eggs:

4 - 6



Incubation Days:

28



Egg Incubator:

Female



Nest Material:

Shallow bowl lined with dead grass



Migration:

Nonmigratory



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General

Laysan Duck: Teal-sized duck, endemic to the Hawaiian islands. Brown with patch of white feathers around eye, green-glossed head and neck with variable white feathers that may increase with age. Speculum may appear green, purple, or blue. Dark gray bill with variable black markings and dull orange feet and legs. Sexes similar, females show more white on chin, lack green gloss and has a pale brown bill with black blotches. Underparts more buff-colored. Juveniles appear darker brown and lack white eyering and white feathers on head and neck.

Range and Habitat

Laysan Duck: Endemic to Laysan Island, they prefer land and mud flats but do spend time in shallow water. They were once near extinction but the population is now stable at roughly 600 birds. About 100 birds have been introduced to Midway Atoll in hopes of establishing a new colony.

Breeding and Nesting

Laysan Duck: Four to six pale buff to pale green eggs are laid in a shallow scrape lined with dead grass on the ground that is hidden in vegetation. Incubated by female for 28 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Laysan Duck: Feeds at night and forages mostly on ground or mud flats but will dabble in shallow water. Eats insect larvae and adult brine flies which it searches for at the edges of water.

Vocalization

Laysan Duck: Male squeaks or whistles and female quacks like a Mallard.

Similar Species

Laysan Duck: Not likely to be confused with any other species in its range.

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UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
ChinX
The area of the face just below the bill.
SpeculumX
The brightly colored area on the wing (secondaries of the wing) on several duck species.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX