Size: Length; 41cm.

Age: 12 years in the wild and up to 18 in captivity.

Habitat and Distribution: Found only on the Pacific Ocean island of Laysan, 225 km off the coast of Hawaii.

Groups and Breeding: This species starts pair-formation in autumn and nest building in spring. They form semi-permanent bonds in that they often return to the same mate for several consecutive years. The female will build a nest on the ground in thick vegetation where she will lay around four eggs. These will hatch after approximately 26 days. Young can feed and walk around within two days although they remain with the adults for 40-60 days.

Diet: Flies, larvae and other invertebrates, algae, leaves and seeds.

• Until recently, the Laysan Teal was actually thought to be just a subspecies of mallard.
• Laysan Teal have been observed sprinting through swarms of flies snapping their beaks to catch their food.
• They were first discovered in 1882 and have been at the verge of extinction a number of times. In 1911 only six were found and the highest recorded number of this species has been 827 individuals. Captive breeding programmes have kept this species present in the wild.
• One of the main threats to this species is drought and water shortage and also competition with ants for the same food sources.