Trevor (duck)

Trevor
SpeciesAnas platyrhynchos (mallard)
SexMale
DiedJanuary 2019
NationalityNiue
Known forUnexplained arrival
Named afterTrevor Mallard

Trevor (died January 2019) was a mallard duck that made a vagrant appearance in the island country of Niue in January 2018. He remained in Niue until he died in 2019.[1]

Life

Trevor began receiving media attention when The New Zealand Herald journalist Claire Trevett encountered the duck on a visit to Niue and reported on his appearance in an article published in September 2018,[2] at which point Trevor's story gained coverage from worldwide news sources.[3] Mallard ducks are not endemic to Niue, and the country's habitat is not suitable for them, as Niue lacks any surface fresh water,[4][5][2] which mallards require.[6]: 507  Trevor lived as a local celebrity in a particular roadside puddle which the Niue Fire Service would refill when it began to dry out; Trevett learned of Trevor when she asked for directions and was told to "turn right past the duck".[7]

Commentators hypothesised that he was either blown off course by a storm[3] or stowed away on a ship,[7] as the distance from New Zealand – where mallards have been introduced[8] – is too great for the duck to have flown under his own effort.[9] New Zealand mallards are known to migrate long distances. Vagrant mallards from New Zealand have colonised Pacific and Southern Ocean islands including Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and Macquarie Island.[10]

Hundreds of kilometres from any other duck and without a mate, he was known as "the world's loneliest duck",[3] although accompanied by a rooster, a chicken and a weka.[1]

Trevor was named after Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.[9] As Niue is freely-associated with New Zealand, political scientists have described this as a use of geopolitical soft power.[11]: 13  The Foreign Minister of New Zealand arranged for veterinarians from Auckland to assist Niue's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in caring for the duck.[12]

Death

On 23 January 2019, a Facebook page named after Trevor expressed dismay that Trevor had not been seen in his regular habitat.[13] Two days later, on 25 January, a follow-up post confirmed that Trevor had been "seen dead in the bush after being attacked by dogs".[14] Trevor was mourned locally and Niue received condolences from around the world, including from his namesake politician.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Weedon, Alan (27 January 2019). "Niue says goodbye to its famous solitary duck, Trevor". ABC News. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 Trevett, Claire (5 September 2018). "The sorry tale of Niue's only duck". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Victor, Daniel (29 January 2019). "'World's loneliest duck' dies on tiny Pacific island that loved him". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019.
  4. ↑ Wheeler, Christopher; Aharon, Paul (2004). "Geology and hydrogeology of Niue". In Vacher, H. Leonard; Quinn, Terrence M. (eds.). Geology and Hydrogeology of Carbonate Islands. Developments in Sedimentology. Vol. 54. pp. 537–564. doi:10.1016/S0070-4571(04)80039-6. ISBN 978-0-444-51644-2. OCLC 1162020033. OL 16971143W.
  5. ↑ Parks, Clint (9 October 2024). "Niue's fight to sustain itself". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Cramp, Stanley; Simmons, K. E. L.; Ferguson-Lees, I. J.; Gillmor, Robert; Hollom, P. A. D.; Hudson, Robert; Nicholson, E. M.; Ogilvie, M. A.; Olney, P. J. S.; Voous, K. H.; Wattel, Jan, eds. (1977). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-857358-6. OCLC 13791970. OL 6725264W.
  7. 1 2 Beldi, Lauren (6 September 2018). "Trevor is 'the world's loneliest duck', and now he's facing a housing crisis". ABC News. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018.
  8. ↑ Dyer, John; Williams, Murray (2010). "An introduction most determined: Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) to New Zealand". Notornis. 57 (4): 178–195. doi:10.63172/399767fehrlu.
  9. 1 2 Lyons, Kate (7 September 2018). "Trevor the lonely duck gets tiny island of Niue in a flap". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018.
  10. ↑ Tracey, John P.; Lukins, Brian S.; Haselden, Chris (2008). "Hybridisation between mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and grey duck (A. superciliosa) on Lord Howe Island and management options". Notornis. 55 (1): 1–7. doi:10.63172/392783csrpjp.
  11. ↑ Futaiasi, Derek; Habru, Priestley; Koro, Maima; Waqavakatoga, William; McNeill, Henrietta (2023). Lalaga, tithiki, talia vata: Pacific Islands weaving statecraft (PDF). Adelaide Papers on Pacific Security. Stretton Institute, University of Adelaide. OCLC 1409565437. NLA 10011068.
  12. ↑ Peters, Winston (17 January 2019). "RE: 1862". Letter to Heather Hastie. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022 – via Jerry Coyne.
  13. ↑ Butler, Gavin (29 January 2019). "Trevor, the world's loneliest duck, is dead". Vice. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024.
  14. ↑ Chiu, Allyson (29 January 2019). "'Fly on, Trevor': Pacific island mourns death of the 'world's loneliest duck'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019.
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