Species of the Month
Mottled Duck
Anas fulvigula
Family Anatidae
Description 21" (53 cm). Mottled dark brown and sandy. Similar to a female Mallard, but bill clear yellow or orange-yellow, throat plain tawny, and tail dark rather than whitish.
Habitat Coastal marshes and lagoons.
Nesting 9-13 pale greenish eggs in a down-lined nest of grass concealed in vegetation near a shore.
Range Resident in southern Florida and along Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas.
Voice A loud quack, like that of a Mallard.
Discussion This southern duck is a very close relative of the widespread Mallard. Until recently, no other duck of the genus Anas nested in these coastal marshes, and so the distinctive male plumage, which among these birds enables females to identify mates of their own species, was gradually lost. After thousands of years of evolutionary change, the two sexes are colored alike.
Info from enature.com
Spotlight
This month's LAPB Member Spotlight features LAPB President Mike Carloss.
Mike received a B.S. in Wildlife Management in 1984 and an M.S. in Biology in 1988 from USL (now ULL). Prior to his professional career he began his wildlife work as a student worker with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in 1978 at Rockefeller Refuge and continued this through his undergraduate studies at the New Iberia Field Office under Greg Linscombe and Noel Kinler. His professional career began in 1985 with LDWF where he was assigned to Marsh Island Refuge. In 1993 he transferred to Atchafalaya Delta WMA which also included Isle Dernieres Barrier Islands Refuge. In 1998 he transferred to the Office of State Parks as Park Manager of Lake Fausse Pointe State Park. In 2002 he accepted a position with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Lafayette as a wildlife biologist working primarily with coastal restoration projects and related projects. In 2004 he returned to LDWF as Program Manager of the Habitat Section (Coastal and Nongame Resources Division - CNR, the former Fur and Refuge Div.) in B.R. which included Natural Heritage, Scenic Rivers, Nongame and Permit Review. In 2006 Mike transferred to Coastal Operations (CNR) out of the New Iberia Field Office which covers Atchafalaya Delta, Pointe aux Chenes, Salvador, Pass a Loutre, Timken, Lake Boeuf, Wisner, and Biloxi WMAs and Marsh Island, State Wildlife, Isles Dernieres Barrier Islands and St. Tammany Refuges. In April 2009 Mike was promoted to Assistant Division Administrator of CNR Division in B.R. In his current position he assists in the administration of all programs within CNR Division which includes Coastal Operations, Rockefeller Refuge, White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area, Fur Management and Research, Alligator Management and Research, Mineral, Permit and Mitigation and Habitat Conservation.
In his spare time he enjoys landscaping, hunting, fishing and taxidermy as well as spending leisurely time with his family.
Mike has been a member of LAPB since 1989 and served as Secretary in 1996. He was elected President in 2006 for the 2007-08 terms as President -Elect and 2009-2010 as President.