New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck (Oxyura vantetsi) is an extinct
duck
species from New Zealand
which is known only from subfossil
remains. It was first described as a distinct species by Trevor H. Worthy
in 2005.
The New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck was closely related to the Australian Blue-billed Duck
(Oxyura australis) but its bones were about one tenth smaller than those of its Australian relative. The holotype was found in 1967 at Lake Poukawa
in Hawke's Bay
, North Island
, New Zealand
and remains in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
. The specific name honours the late Australian ornithologist Gerard Frederick van Tets
(1929–1995) who first recognized the relationship of this species with the stiff-tailed duck
s in 1983. Because the bones of the New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck were unlabeled, it was not until 2004 that Trevor H. Worthy from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
identified 19 bones out of 13,000 fossil remains of waterfowl
found in the Holocene
deposits at Lake Poukawa
. The fossil remains consist of left humeri
, distal left humeri, right humeri, distal right humeri, and proximal right humeri. The New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck presumably became extinct due to overhunting by the Māori in the 16th century.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
species from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
which is known only from subfossil
Subfossil
Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
remains. It was first described as a distinct species by Trevor H. Worthy
Trevor H. Worthy
Trevor H. Worthy is a paleozoologist from New Zealand known for his research work on the moa.In the late 1980s Worthy discovered the fossil remains of three frog species from the Leiopelmatidae family, the Aurora frog , the Markham's frog , and the Waitomo frog...
in 2005.
The New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck was closely related to the Australian Blue-billed Duck
Blue-billed Duck
The Blue-billed Duck is a small Australian stiff-tailed duck, with both the male and female growing to a length of 40 cm . The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck’s common name . The male has deep chestnut plumage during breeding...
(Oxyura australis) but its bones were about one tenth smaller than those of its Australian relative. The holotype was found in 1967 at Lake Poukawa
Lake Poukawa
Lake Poukawa is a small shallow hardwater lake in the Hawke's Bay Region, North Island, New Zealand. It is located about 20 km south-west of Hastings, New Zealand, close to the settlement of Te Hauke. It is the largest lake lying within a peatland in the active tectonic Poukawa depression, between...
in Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
, North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and remains in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
. The specific name honours the late Australian ornithologist Gerard Frederick van Tets
Gerard Frederick van Tets
Gerard Frederick van Tets , otherwise known as Jerry van Tets, was a twentieth century English ornithologist and paleontologist. Born in London on 19 January 1929, he became a member of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1958 and studied at the University of British Columbia, obtaining his PhD...
(1929–1995) who first recognized the relationship of this species with the stiff-tailed duck
Stiff-tailed duck
The stiff-tailed ducks are part of the Oxyurinae subfamily of ducks. All have, as their name implies, long stiff tail feathers, which are erected when the bird is at rest. All have relatively large swollen bills.These are freshwater diving ducks...
s in 1983. Because the bones of the New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck were unlabeled, it was not until 2004 that Trevor H. Worthy from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
identified 19 bones out of 13,000 fossil remains of waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
found in the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
deposits at Lake Poukawa
Lake Poukawa
Lake Poukawa is a small shallow hardwater lake in the Hawke's Bay Region, North Island, New Zealand. It is located about 20 km south-west of Hastings, New Zealand, close to the settlement of Te Hauke. It is the largest lake lying within a peatland in the active tectonic Poukawa depression, between...
. The fossil remains consist of left humeri
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
, distal left humeri, right humeri, distal right humeri, and proximal right humeri. The New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck presumably became extinct due to overhunting by the Māori in the 16th century.
External links
- New Zealand Stiff-tailed Duck. Oxyura vantetsi. From the series: Extinct Birds of New Zealand. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006