Anas melleri
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Meller's duck (Anas melleri) is a species of the dabbling duck genus Anas. It is endemic to eastern Madagascar. Although a population was established on Mauritius in the mid-18th century, this is on the verge of extinction due to habitat loss and competition by feral domestic ducks. The species name of this species is after the botanist Charles James Meller, and its generic name is from the Latin for "duck".
The Meller's duck resembles a large female mallard. At 55–65 centimetres (22–26 in), it averages slightly larger than a mallard and is at the top size for the genus Anas. However, as opposed to most mallard relatives, they lack a supercilium. The speculum feathers are green as in some of its relatives, but unlike in these, it is bordered white as in the mallard. Its body is dark brown with narrow paler fringes to feathers on upper parts and wider fringes on lower parts. Its bill is pale grey, with dark patches at the base, and is larger than normal. Its feet and legs are orange.
Meller's duck breeds apparently during most of the year except May–June on Madagascar, dependent on local conditions; the Mauritian population has been recorded to breed... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Parc Merveilleux | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | |
| 4 | Lemur Island | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 5 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Meller's Duck sighting in Antananarivo on a given day, based on 360 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Meller's Duck in Antananarivo on a given day, against about 20% in January–February and April, the lowest months. That is one of Antananarivo's driest months, with about 85 mm of rain against 480 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Meller's Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Antananarivo, in our data
Antananarivo is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Meller's Duck sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Meller's Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Antananarivo (360 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
