Range expansion of the Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata (Aves: Anseriformes: Anatidae) to the Lena River catchment, Siberia

 

Victor G. Degtyarev

 

Head of Laboratory, Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 41 Lenin Ave, Yakutsk, 677980, Russia

dvgarea@yandex.ru

 

 

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4078.7937-9 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2FC922D5-2810-4347-B207-931F2FA3B877

 

Editor: S. Balachandran, BNHS, Mumbai, India. Date of publication: 26 October 2015 (online & print)

 

Manuscript details: Ms # o4078 | Received 27 June 2014 | Final received 02 July 2015 | Finally accepted 17 September 2015

 

Citation: Degtyarev, V.G. (2015). Range expansion of the Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata (Aves: Anseriformes: Anatidae) to the Lena River catchment, Siberia. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(12): 7937–7939; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4078.7937-9

 

Copyright: © Degtyarev 2015. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

 

Funding: Support for this work was provided by IBPC, SB, RAS project № 0376 – 2014 – 0001, 51.1.4.

 

Conflict of Interest: The author declares no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: A.K. Antonov (Nature department of the Yakut state museum), D.I. Berezovsky (the Yakut technical agricultural school graduate), A.A. Erschov (Neryungry nature protection committee), A.P. Isaev (Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, SB, RAS), V.V. Nikolaev (Olyekminsk nature protection committee), D.N. Martyinov (the Yakut technical agricultural school graduate), and A.G. Takhvatulin (Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, SB, RAS) are greatly acknowledged for their valuable. The acknowledge the help of two anonymous reviewers and of subject editor and their comments to the manuscript.

 

 

 

The Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata is listed as Least Concern with the population decrease trend (BirdLife International 2012). Meanwhile, the breeding number in low and middle reaches of Amur River catchment increased gradually since the 1980s (Danilov-Danilyan et al. 2001). The increase was followed by westward extension of the breeding range, which was not mentioned in the last version of IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Fig. 1, Vischnyakov et al. 2012; BirdLife International 2012). The term “extent of occurrence” is used as defined by IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2012). This short paper reports recent evidence of the species occurrence further north of its known breeding range in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. This paper was based on the occurrence of Mandarin Duck documented within the Lena River basin: (1) Author’s recognition of two males shot reportedly from pairs on 13 May 2010 and 17 May 2011 in the lower reaches of Maya River (tributary of the Aldan River, 59045’N & 134055’E); (2) 51 sightings reported by experienced birdwatchers through personal communications summarized in the Table 1; (3) three occurrences plausibly reported at the regional hunter Internet forum (Table 1, Okhota i ryibalka http://forum.ykt.ru/viewforum.jsp?id=16) .

In the 2000s the Mandarin Duck was reported within the area shown on Fig. 1 in the Lena River basin. Most of the records were considered anecdotal notes and thus this documented range extension cannot delineate the actual distribution of this duck. The majority of recent records are from the most highly populated areas. Based on summer and autumn occurrences (including brood-like small flocks) we suggested that the upper and middle reaches of Aldan River and tributaries the Timpton Maya and Uchur rivers (up to 600N) should be included as regular summer range and possibly as breeding range of the Mandarin Duck (Fig. 1). Pairs and solitary males recorded further north of 600N were probably vagrant.

In the 1970s the Mandarin Duck was considered a “rare vagrant” in the southernmost margin of the Lena River basin (Tolchin & Pyizchyanov 1979). In the following 20 years the range expansion to the west was reported within the Amur River basin and with the increase in numbers the duck surmounted the divide between Amur and Lena rivers to colonize the upper reaches of the Olyekma River, where it was probably breeding (Fig. 1, Vischnyakov et al. 2012). Despite its regular occurrence in Transbaikalia the Mandarin Duck has never been reported on the eastern coast of Lake Baikal (Pronin 2013). It seems the mountains around Baikal do not suit the species habitat requirements. This is likely to be a reason why the species commenced to settle northward in the Lena River basin going presumably along largest tributaries Aldan and Olyekma.

 

 

 

 

 

In the Amur River basin The Mandarin Duck inhabits broadleaf and mixed forests alongside smoothly flowing streams and other waterbodies, and avoids open areas and dark-coniferous forest (Mikhailov & Shibnev 1998; Danilov-Danilyan et al. 2001; Kostenko 2005). The duck nests in tree cavities, primarily in oaks, elms or poplars. In the newly-colonized area in Transbaikalia the species was reported from the light-coniferous forest (Vischnyakov et al. 2012). In the Lena River, basin branching river reaches with poplar woodlands and holms or burnt larch-forest spots were found to be similar to those habitats in the Amur River basin (including Tranbikalia section) and occur quite often. Thus the duck could be breeding within the range of expansion, which is more likely if the number in the Amur River basin increases.

Our results indicate that the range of the Mandarin Duck has enlarged significantly in recent years, reaching at least 600N. The extension was dramatic because: (1) the species moved nearly 10 degrees northward during 20 years; (2) it crossed the Amur basin boundaries penetrating to the Lena River basin; (3) it reached the middle taiga.

 

 

 

 

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