Marble Teal Ducks

Marble Teal Ducks

A PAIR is a male/female pair of unrelated birds.

• Breeding season Spring months
• Clutch size 8-10 eggs
• Incubation period  25 days
• 1 pound average 

Marble Teal Ducks, Marmaronetta angustirostris, are elegantly colored waterfowl with creamy white and gray-fawn coloring. These ducks have large heads that appear larger, with a flat top when displaying. Heads have a light stripe along the sides under the eyes, which is attractively set off by a dark black bill. Feet and legs are a gray color. The white spotting over the shoulders and back are particularly alluring. It is probably these white spots, which look like 'marbles' that led to this duck's name.

Males and females can be quite similar in appearance, but males can be distinguished by a darker brown coloring over the eye and a more dramatic cresting on the head. Neither sex has a colored wing speculum.

Marble Teal Ducks could originally be found in large numbers throughout the Mediterranean region and the middle east. At this point though, they are only found in a few sites in southern Spain, northwestern Africa, Israel, as well as some small groups reported in Turkey, Armenia, northwestern India, and western China. The most important population is in the Shadegan Marshes in southern Iraq.  Marble Teal Ducks inhabit marshes, swamps, wetlands, lakes and ponds, and sometimes brackish bodies of calm water as well.

Housing Requirements: Marble Teal Ducks do well in mixed-species collections, and are uncomplicated to raise in captivity. They are native to warm climates though and thus will need some sort of heat and winter protection if kept in areas with cold winters. They also tend to be a bit nervous and flighty and can be timid when interacting with other species of waterfowl. They would probably do best if housed with other smaller species of tropical ducks. Although Marble Teal Ducks do not need a very large aviary or enclosure, plenty of cover should be provided for their comfort.

Diet: Marble Teal Ducks feed on a diverse wild diet consisting of insects, seeds, grasses, and aquatic plants. They feed in shallow water by dabbling as well as over land. An 18% protein commercial duck or waterfowl diet would be appropriate for feeding these birds in captivity. Additional greens, access to pasture, and insects such as mealworms would also help in keeping a vibrantly healthy flock.