Scarlett's Duck

Malacorhynchus Scarletti is an extinct New Zealand breeds of ducks, which was closely related to the Australian Rose ear Duck ( Malacorhynchus membranaceus ). It was named in 1977 by Storrs Lovejoy Olson in honor of the New Zealand ornithologist Ron Scarlett, who in 1941 discovered the holotype. 1998, however, the type were rediscovered in the Otago Museum hitherto undescribed bones that were found already in 1903. In the museum collections today are at least 32 known bones that were found in the Pyramid Valley and Ngāpara on the South Island and at Lake Poukawa on the North Island.

With 800 grams Malacorhynchus Scarletti was about twice as heavy as the rose ear duck. Like their Australian relatives had also Malacorhynchus Scarletti a broad bill, which was dedicated to filtering the food in shallow water. This points to a food way in which the water surface for food particles - presumably mainly small water insects - was durchseiht. Due to the few fossil material is assumed that Malacorhynchus Scarletti was not common in New Zealand also in prehistoric times. They obviously preferred shallow, open waters, of which there are in the heavily forested New Zealand were not many at that time. The rose ear duck is, however, very sociable, forming swarms that go into the thousands.

Skeletal remains from the middens of the Maori in Wairau Bar and at Lake Grassmere in Marlborough region suggest that the species was heavily hunted. They probably died out in the 16th century.