Although ducks are common birds in our country, you will see this duck rarely and only in a few places in Lithuania - it is a brown-headed duck. It is disappearing so fast that in 2022 The Lithuanian Ornithological Society declared it the bird of the year. This year's observations show that the situation has become critical.
"At the beginning of this century, we had about 3-4 thousand in Lithuania. breeding pairs. Four years ago, there were only about 500 left, and the current inventory showed that the situation is even sadder," says Arūnas Čerkauskas, ornithologist of the State Service of Protected Areas.
The brown-headed duck population is decreasing not only in Lithuania, but also on a global scale. The World Conservation Organization has already given it the status of a globally endangered species.
According to A. Cherkauskas, pollution from agriculture and illegal hunting outside the European Union are among the main reasons. "Brown-headed ducks need shallow, vegetated lakes with open water areas, or fishing ponds. A large part of such lakes become completely green due to chemical pollution from agriculture. The water body is overgrown to such an extent that there are no open water areas, tall reeds and woody vegetation grow and the conditions are no longer suitable for this duck, the ornithologist explains. - Illegal hunting still remains another threat. This is not very relevant in Lithuania, but further east of us, hunting is not regulated much. It is estimated that up to 30 thousand are shot every year, mostly in Eastern Europe, but also in other countries. individuals."
In addition, those ducks that escape the shot are often killed by lead shot poisoning in the water. Scientists estimate that up to fifty thousand individuals die each year due to lead poisoning. in the European Union from 2021 lead shot in waterfowl hunting has finally been banned, but it remains a problem elsewhere. "Considering that the global population of brown-headed ducks is up to 800 thousand. individuals, these numbers are telling and it is not surprising that this duck has become globally endangered", says ornithologist Arūnas Čerkauskas.
The situation of the brown-headed duck in Lithuania is also complicated by invasive species - Canadian mink and mongoose. These good-swimming predators sneak into colonies of brown-headed ducks and gulls, causing them damage. "Another important nuance is that the average lifespan of this duck is only six and a half years. This probably also has a considerable influence on its current situation, since there are many threats, and the life expectancy is relatively short and the population does not have time to recover", says Arūnas Čerkauskas, an ornithologist at the Methodological and Analytical Center of the State Protected Territories Service.
The main help for the survival of this species in Lithuania would be the reduction of chemical pollution from agriculture. "It is important that as few chemicals as possible are washed into the lakes, but appropriate legal acts must be adopted here at the state level to regulate that matter," says the specialist.
