jurek
Well-known member
I wonder why Pink-headed Duck became extinct.
The classical explanation by IUCN, that because of hunting, seems unsatisfactory. Ducks are usually resilient to sport hunting, and hunting pressure was not heavy enough to wipe out larger animals, like indian rhinoceros and tiger.
However, disapperance of Pink-headed Duck parallels two smaller mammals: Pygmy Hog and Hispid Hare. Both were brought to near-extinction by annual burning of swampy grassland on Terai.
I wonder if Pink-headed Duck could be dependent of swampy grassland and vulnerable to grassland burning? Maybe it was hiding in grassland and reluctant to fly, or nested in unburned grassland?
If true, this could have an conservation implication - any searches of Pink-necked Ducks could target wetlands where burning doesn't occur.
The classical explanation by IUCN, that because of hunting, seems unsatisfactory. Ducks are usually resilient to sport hunting, and hunting pressure was not heavy enough to wipe out larger animals, like indian rhinoceros and tiger.
However, disapperance of Pink-headed Duck parallels two smaller mammals: Pygmy Hog and Hispid Hare. Both were brought to near-extinction by annual burning of swampy grassland on Terai.
I wonder if Pink-headed Duck could be dependent of swampy grassland and vulnerable to grassland burning? Maybe it was hiding in grassland and reluctant to fly, or nested in unburned grassland?
If true, this could have an conservation implication - any searches of Pink-necked Ducks could target wetlands where burning doesn't occur.