The Laysan Teal

Midway is home to the rarest species of waterfowl in the world, the Laysan Teal. Although, they may look like a hen Mallard (superficially) on closer inspection these little ducks are very striking and unique. Despite their small stature they are tough customers, often fighting with their neighbors for no real apparent reason. Up until just a few years ago this bird existed only on Laysan Island, which is several hundred miles east of Midway, towards Oahu. Fortunately, several ducks were translocated here and released. Now they are doing great. Although wetlands were not a native feature here at Midway several were created for the ducks, to provide a freshwater habitat. Now, almost any open water on the island has ducks in it and the wetlands that were created specifically for them are often overflowing with birds. The best part is, we had to trap one of them the other day to remove a radio-transmitter that it was carrying and I got to hold it! It was really great to see one up close.