On the morning of July 11, the staff of the Ezhou State-level Land Wildlife Epidemic Disease Surveillance Station took photos of the cotton pygmy geese playing and looking for food with more than 10 young birds in the water during their daily surveillance in Caijiahai, Liangzihu. This is the first time that the birds were observed breeding in Liangzi Lake.
Cotton pygmy goose, commonly known as the cotton teal, is the thinnest duck in the duck family, known as “the world’s smallest duck”. Due to the sharp decline in size, the contton teals have been classified as the wild animals under second-class state protection in China.
Cotton teal is a kind of summer migratory bird in Liangzi Lake, and its breeding season is from May to August, They are often found in small groups before breeding, and in pairs during the breeding season. Cotton teals mostly nest in tree holes not far from the water, which are also seen nesting in front of the house camphor tree holes or willow tree holes beside the pool, and even in abandoned chimneys or in bridge holes. Each nest lays 8-14 eggs, with the female incubating the eggs and the male on guard near the nest. The incubation period is about 15 days, with one or two nests produced each year.
According to the staff of the monitoring station, there are few tall trees around Liangzi Lake, and few abandoned chimneys and viaduct holes that meet the breeding conditions of cotton pygmy geese, it is possible that the young ducks are not bred through the traditional method mentioned above. The breeding method of the young ducks needs to be further observed, explored, and researched.