Endangered Brazilian ducks hatch ducklings at Sylvan Heights Bird Park
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SCOTLAND NECK, N.C. (WITN) – One of the world’s most endangered duck species is having breeding success in Eastern Carolina.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park said Thursday that all four pairs of its critically endangered Brazilian Mergansers have hatched ducklings in their first year at the park.
The first ducklings hatched in July, marking the first time the species has been bred in North America. By mid-August, all four pairs had hatched healthy ducklings.
The park shared a video Thursday of one duckling leaving its nest box for the first time and joining its parents on the water.
Brazilian Mergansers are among the world’s most endangered waterfowl, with an estimated population of about 250.
Nine adult birds came to Sylvan Heights from Brazil in December as part of a breeding program aimed at growing the species’ population.
Park officials say poor water quality in rivers and streams has played a major role in the birds’ decline.
“The Brazilian Merganser is a species on the brink,” Aviculture Director Dr. Dustin Foote said. “However, there’s a really great group of people and organizations that have been working together to help safeguard this species from extinction.”
The mergansers are kept in areas away from visitors and are not currently on display.
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