Ducks

Domestic mallard ducks are being dumped and fed in locations such as Campbell Town, Ross, and Perth, with additional feeding spots reported at Honeysuckle Banks (Evandale) and Mill Dam Reserve (Longford). These self-sustaining populations are supported by human feeding, which encourages further dumping as people assume ducks will survive in these areas.

Feeding ducks creates multiple issues:

• Health Risks: Unnatural diets cause nutritional deficiencies, leading to conditions such as Angel Wing.
• Environmental Impact: Increased duck populations foul waterways, raising the risk of botulism and degrading water quality.
• Behavioral Problems: Ducks accustomed to feeding may become aggressive toward people, especially children.

IMPACT ON NATIVE SPECIES

• Feral mallards compete with native ducks for resources and damage habitats by trampling vegetation and soils.
• Mallards are larger and more aggressive than native species, displacing them from feeding areas.
• Hybridization Threat: Mallards crossbreed with Pacific Black Ducks (PBD), creating fertile hybrids. This threatens the genetic integrity of PBD, which has led to near extinction in regions such as New Zealand and complete extinction on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
• Rural feral populations act as genetic “stepping stones,” spreading mallard traits into otherwise pure PBD populations.

CURRENT SITUATION IN TASMANIA

• Tasmania hosts 11 native duck species, occupying diverse habitats:
  • Rivers, wetlands, estuaries, lakes, farm dams
  • Sewage settling ponds and dairy effluent ponds
  • Bushland areas where species like Wood Duck, Australian Shelduck, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, and PBD nest in tree hollows far from water sources.

Mallards thrive where stable food and water sources exist (e.g., bread, grain, lettuce, tubs of water), leading to population explosions that outcompete smaller native ducks.

Feral Mallard Ducks – Why Feeding is Harmful

Domestic mallard ducks are being dumped and fed in areas such as Campbell Town, Ross, Perth, Evandale (Honeysuckle Banks), and Longford (Mill Dam Reserve). While feeding ducks may seem kind, it creates serious problems:

• Health Risks: Bread and other human foods cause nutritional deficiencies and conditions like Angel Wing.
• Environmental Damage: Overpopulation leads to fouled waterways, poor water quality, and increased risk of botulism.
• Aggressive Behavior: Ducks accustomed to handouts can become demanding and even aggressive toward people.

Feral mallards also threaten Tasmania’s native ducks, especially the Pacific Black Duck, through hybridisation, which can lead to species extinction. Mallards are larger and more aggressive, pushing out native species and damaging habitats.

Please do not feed ducks. They can find natural food that supports a healthy diet and balanced populations. By avoiding feeding, you help protect our waterways and Tasmania’s 11 native duck species.