Ruddy Shelduck, Glossy Ibis and others in Madeira - wild or feral? (1 Viewer)

[michalb]

Hello all,
my question is not exactly the one on identification, but rather on the status of several birds - if this subforum is unsuitable for this kind of discussion, I apologize and would kindly ask the administrators/moderators to move it.
All those birds were seen in the island of Madeira in October this year.

First, the Ruddy Shelduck I met every day on the banks of a small river - is it possible it was a natural vagrant? In the same place there were also a few Muscovy Ducks, but I assume those are domesticated turned feral (although Avibase's checklist does not mark this species as introduced?)

Another one is the Glossy Ibis, which foraged for a few days near the estuary of the same river. This one couldn't be feral I think, but as I remember from looking through the "Birds of the Atlantic Islands" field guide (I don't own the book), it has been noted only once or twice in Madeira, so am I really lucky and should report the sighting to some authorities?

Rock Pigeon - is the population on Madeira wild or rather introduced/feral? I think most of birds in more remote location had "wild type" plumage.

Fourth question - what swifts stay in Madeira until mid-October? I couldn't find information on that other than that Plain Swift is May-August visitor, but can overwinter (Mullarney&Svensson field guide). What about Pallid Swift? I assume the Common Swifts should be already gone or shouldn't they?

Finally, I'm just looking for confirmation that the Common Waxbills have been introduced to the island, like to many other places.

If anyone can bother to answer any of my questions and doubts, I'll be very grateful. I probably wouldn't ask at least some of them if I had "Birds of the Atlantic Islands" copy on hand. I hope this Glossy Ibis was really a rare sighting which will go as the bird highlight of my vacation

Regards,
Michal

 

[njlarsen]

Muscovy Duck is a resident native of central and south america and as such is extremely unlikely to ever have reached Madeira under its own power. Remember that the real muscovy has just about no white in its plumage, so if the birds you saw were partly white, that confirms their background in captivity.

Niels

 

[RafaelMatias]

Hello all,
my question is not exactly the one on identification, but rather on the status of several birds - if this subforum is unsuitable for this kind of discussion, I apologize and would kindly ask the administrators/moderators to move it.
All those birds were seen in the island of Madeira in October this year.

Hi Michal, seems you had a nice time in Madeira

Some answers to your questions...

First, the Ruddy Shelduck I met every day on the banks of a small river - is it possible it was a natural vagrant? In the same place there were also a few Muscovy Ducks, but I assume those are domesticated turned feral (although Avibase's checklist does not mark this species as introduced?)

Ruddy Shelducks are very rare vagrants to Madeira, with the only records known being from the late XIX and early XX centuries (museum specimens). Of course it is possible for a vagrant to reach Madeira in the present day, as they breed on the Canaries. However, this is a species which is not so uncommon in collections nowadays and therefore if you feel the bird was behaving as a domestic animal, its origin is at the very least doubtful. If not, I can't see why can't it be a natural vagrant. Interesting!
Muscovy Ducks (domestic form) are now breeding feraly on many places in Madeira and this is turning a naturalised species there.

Another one is the Glossy Ibis, which foraged for a few days near the estuary of the same river. This one couldn't be feral I think, but as I remember from looking through the "Birds of the Atlantic Islands" field guide (I don't own the book), it has been noted only once or twice in Madeira, so am I really lucky and should report the sighting to some authorities?

Glossy Ibis is a rare vagrant to the islands, a very nice find!

Rock Pigeon - is the population on Madeira wild or rather introduced/feral? I think most of birds in more remote location had "wild type" plumage.

This is s good question with no easy answer. Most likely it is originally native with further introductions since human occupation (from the early XV cent). There are loads of very dark birds there that prompted the description of an endemic subspecies (ssp. schimperi, by Schmitz if I recall properly, but have no reference at hand) and later on included in Columba livia atlantis by Bannerman (the same as in the Azores and Cape Verde islands). However, the validity of this subspecies is arguable and even Bannerman showed to be uncertain about it in his writings.

Fourth question - what swifts stay in Madeira until mid-October? I couldn't find information on that other than that Plain Swift is May-August visitor, but can overwinter (Mullarney&Svensson field guide). What about Pallid Swift? I assume the Common Swifts should be already gone or shouldn't they?

They are most likely to be Plain Swifts by now. Pallid breeds there but it is not common. Common Swifts are absent from Madeira and are vagrants (with no confirmed records).

Finally, I'm just looking for confirmation that the Common Waxbills have been introduced to the island, like to many other places.

Yes, Waxbills have been introduced, and are now common in a few places.

If anyone can bother to answer any of my questions and doubts, I'll be very grateful. I probably wouldn't ask at least some of them if I had "Birds of the Atlantic Islands" copy on hand. I hope this Glossy Ibis was really a rare sighting which will go as the bird highlight of my vacation

The Glossy Ibis was certainly a very good record, but perhaps the Ruddy Shelduck as well.
I'd ask you please to send your records to the Portuguese Rarities Committee (here). The submission form can be found on that page (there is an online form that makes things easy, and if you have photos this will be quite straightforward.
The list of species considered by the PRC for Madeira is here.

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[michalb]

First, thanks for all comments!

Muscovy Duck is a resident native of central and south america and as such is extremely unlikely to ever have reached Madeira under its own power. Remember that the real muscovy has just about no white in its plumage, so if the birds you saw were partly white, that confirms their background in captivity.
Niels

Yes, I'm aware of that, and this question was of a "just in case" type Although a few of them were virtually all black, the answer from Rafael clears all doubts.

Hi Michal, seems you had a nice time in Madeira

Absolutely great, it is truly a magnificent island and I hope it won't be the last time I visited it!

Ruddy Shelducks are very rare vagrants to Madeira, with the only records known being from the late XIX and early XX centuries (museum specimens). Of course it is possible for a vagrant to reach Madeira in the present day, as they breed on the Canaries. However, this is a species which is not so uncommon in collections nowadays and therefore if you feel the bird was behaving as a domestic animal, its origin is at the very least doubtful. If not, I can't see why can't it be a natural vagrant. Interesting!

Well, it did seem to be well accustomed to humans, I saw it every time I passed next to a bridge in Machico (close to the bus station), so it must have been passing all time there.

Muscovy Ducks (domestic form) are now breeding feraly on many places in Madeira and this is turning a naturalised species there.

Thanks for the info, that clears this issue.

This is s good question with no easy answer. Most likely it is originally native with further introductions since human occupation (from the early XV cent). There are loads of very dark birds there that prompted the description of an endemic subspecies (ssp. schimperi, by Schmitz if I recall properly, but have no reference at hand) and later on included in Columba livia atlantis by Bannerman (the same as in the Azores and Cape Verde islands). However, the validity of this subspecies is arguable and even Bannerman showed to be uncertain about it in his writings.

Very interesting! It seems rock pigeons are quite a riddle as to where they originally occurred, where they spread together with humans (but still as wild birds) and where they became feral.

The Glossy Ibis was certainly a very good record, but perhaps the Ruddy Shelduck as well.
I'd ask you please to send your records to the Portuguese Rarities Committee (here). The submission form can be found on that page (there is an online form that makes things easy, and if you have photos this will be quite straightforward.
The list of species considered by the PRC for Madeira is here.

Thank you so much in advance!

Unfortunately I don't have any photos as I didn't take my tele lens with me - this was not a birding trip but a backpacking trip with two little kids, so I had to carry other things in my backpack It's a bit of a shame, because the ibis was quite close and I could have easily taken a very decent photo had I brought the lens with me Anyway I'll gladly submit the information to PRC.

Thanks a lot for the very very useful comments!

 

[Stephen Dunstan]

The Ibis and Ruddy Shelduck are mentioned on here:-

http://www.madeirabirds.com/october-2013-birding-news-madeira

Not sure if they are your reports or other people have seen them, the fact the Ruddy Shelduck is included suggests it is not a local escape.

Stephen

 

[michalb]

The Ibis and Ruddy Shelduck are mentioned on here:-

http://www.madeirabirds.com/october-2013-birding-news-madeira

Not sure if they are your reports or other people have seen them, the fact the Ruddy Shelduck is included suggests it is not a local escape.

No, these are not my reports, and thank you very much for this info! Actually this shelduck stayed in such a place that anyone with a bit of interest in birds walking by the river in Machico must have noticed it. My 3 year old son asked me every day to make sure that we'll be passing by that "rufous duck" (he even learnt its name )

Actually going through that list I find another one - there are two whimbrels noted at Canical on 1st October, and I thought I saw two of them about a week later, coincidentally also close to Canical... But it was from very far away so I wasn't really convinced and left them as unidentified (and still treat them that way, just noting).

 

[RafaelMatias]

No, these are not my reports, and thank you very much for this info! Actually this shelduck stayed in such a place that anyone with a bit of interest in birds walking by the river in Machico must have noticed it. My 3 year old son asked me every day to make sure that we'll be passing by that "rufous duck" (he even learnt its name )

Actually going through that list I find another one - there are two whimbrels noted at Canical on 1st October, and I thought I saw two of them about a week later, coincidentally also close to Canical... But it was from very far away so I wasn't really convinced and left them as unidentified (and still treat them that way, just noting).

Hello Michal,
regarding your records, a simple description would be fine. The biggest problem with Ruddy Shelducks are potential hybrids. However, I see now that there are other reports of the same bird (even further from those mentioned in the post above).
Note that Whimbrel is a regular migrant and is not accessed by the PRC, only the subspecies N. p. hudsonicus, the North American one, is a rarity there. Curlew is also rare though.
So many thanks once again.

 

[stonechat1]

[...] the fact the Ruddy Shelduck is included suggests it is not a local escape.
Stephen

I wouldn´t assume that, Stephen.

 

[Mendap]

Hello,
I live in Madeira and visit the small river regularly for a few years and had never seen the Ruddy Shelduck until a coulpe of months ago.
That I have noticed, Glossy Ibis have been passing through Madeira the last 3 winters.
I have seen them in Machico and also Faial where there was a flock of 8 that stayed for atleast a month.

Below are photos that I took of the Ruddy Shelduck and Glossy Ibis in Machico at the end of September.


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=667825769894930&set=a.334773963200114.89699.334746756536168&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=667833786560795&set=a.334773963200114.89699.334746756536168&type=3&theater

 

[RafaelMatias]

Hello,
I live in Madeira and visit the small river regularly for a few years and had never seen the Ruddy Shelduck until a coulpe of months ago.
That I have noticed, Glossy Ibis have been passing through Madeira the last 3 winters.
I have seen them in Machico and also Faial where there was a flock of 8 that stayed for atleast a month.

Below are photos that I took of the Ruddy Shelduck and Glossy Ibis in Machico at the end of September.


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=667825769894930&set=a.334773963200114.89699.334746756536168&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=667833786560795&set=a.334773963200114.89699.334746756536168&type=3&theater

Very nice photos, especially the Glossy Ibis.
Those rarities records would be more than happily received at the PRC. There is relatively little information reaching us from Madeira, compared to the mainland and the Azores. Many thanks for sharing!

 

[Mendap]

Very nice photos, especially the Glossy Ibis.
Those rarities records would be more than happily received at the PRC. There is relatively little information reaching us from Madeira, compared to the mainland and the Azores. Many thanks for sharing!

You are welcome!

I also have a video of Glossy Ibis in Ribeira do Faial in the winter of 2011, the first time I saw them in Madeira.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flqVbkd8lNQ

What is "PRC"?

 

[RafaelMatias]

You are welcome!

I also have a video of Glossy Ibis in Ribeira do Faial in the winter of 2011, the first time I saw them in Madeira.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flqVbkd8lNQ

What is "PRC"?

You're right to ask, I'm sorry. PRC is the Portuguese Rarities Committee, as in post # 3 above
Madeira is a great place for finding rarities, particularly Porto Santo...
Thanks again!

 

[stonechat1]

[...] Below are photos that I took of the Ruddy Shelduck [...]

Hi Mendap,
to you have also photos with a sideview of that bird? The overlaying outer primaries of the left wing on your bird are normal?

 

[Mendap]

Both sides.

 

[RafaelMatias]

I think they're ok (both wings)...