Rare Duck Spotted Choking On Plastic In Central Park

CENTRAL PARK, NY — City park rangers are scouring Central Park and nearby Morningside Park after a rare Common Merganser duck was seen choking on a plastic ring in Central Park's pond earlier this week, city Parks Department officials said.

Rescue efforts were launched Monday, but rangers were unable to locate the duck, a city Parks Department spokesperson said. Rangers believe the duck is still able to fly and swim, as searches of its last known locations proved unsuccessful.

"The goal is to rescue the bird, remove the plastic, and transport the animal to the Wild Bird Fund so they can assess its overall health," a Parks Department spokesperson said in a statement.

Birders sent out the initial alarm about the struggling bird this week. Bradley Kane uploaded a photo of the bird to Twitter over the weekend, writing that he "should be thrilled" to see the species but that it was "tough to see it suffer due to our use of plastic." Kane told Patch that he isn't surprised that the plight of this bird has been widely shared on social media and reported in several news outlets.

"Plastics are a big threat to wildlife, and we've seen our world become inundated by plastics. So when you see a bird struggling because it's trapped with a piece of plastic in one of the most visible spots in the world — sure you're gonna get a reaction," Kane said.

Kane, who has spotted nearly 200 species in Central Park since taking up birding in 2016, said the Common Merganser species isn't too rare for the New York City area, but isn't often spotted in Central Park. The species is only spotted about once every two years in the park, Kane said. Because the Common Merganser dives for its food, the plastic ring lodged in its mouth will prevent the bird from feeding, Kane said.

The Parks Department is urging Central Park birders to keep an eye out for the Common Merganser and to reach out to rangers directly at (212) 360-2774 if the duck is spotted. Park rangers respond to about 500 animal rescue efforts each year, a Parks Department spokesperson said.