Spain recorded 172 breeding female marbled ducks and 1,427 chicks in 2025, up from just 20 breeding pairs in 2009, after a conservation project restored more than 3,600 hectares of wetlands

Spain recorded 172 breeding females and 1,427 chicks in 2025, a marked improvement from the 20 breeding pairs recorded in the country in 2009. The figures follow years of conservation work focused on wetland restoration, captive breeding and cooperation with local stakeholders. LIFE Cerceta Pardilla, co-financed by the European Union’s LIFE programme and Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge through its Directorate-General for Water, restored more than 3,600 hectares of wetlands and released 3,769 captive-bred ducks in Spain, Italy and Portugal. The project’s final results, published in March 2026, document the scale of the work. However, reintroductions complicate efforts to determine how much of the increase reflects natural population growth. The species remains at risk from habitat degradation, water shortages and other pressures on wetlands.How Spain’s marbled duck breeding numbers changed between 2009 and 2025The marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), also known as the marbled teal, is a wetland bird found across parts of the Mediterranean region, North Africa and Asia. In Spain, its breeding population declined sharply, reaching just 20 pairs in 2009. Conservation efforts have since focused on protecting the wetlands the species needs to breed and feed. Spain recorded 130 females with broods and 806 chicks in 2024. In 2025, the national working group recorded 172 breeding females and 1,427 chicks, increases of approximately 32% and 77%, respectively. The ministry’s monitoring counts females observed with chicks, allowing the 2024 and 2025 breeding figures to be compared.The 2024 breeding season also brought important milestones at individual sites. At Moreras Lagoon in Murcia, breeding was recorded for the first time since 2008, according to Spain’s environment ministry. The project also reported breeding at the Tancat de la Pipa bird reserve in Valencia. In Málaga, 13 pairs were detected at the Río Guadalhorce natural area, where breeding had not been recorded since 2004. Murcia recorded five breeding females and 42 chicks in 2025, according to the national monitoring figures.LIFE Cerceta Pardilla restored more than 3,600 hectares of wetlandsHabitat restoration was central to LIFE Cerceta Pardilla, which began in January 2021 and concluded in 2026. Co-financed by the EU LIFE programme and Spain’s Directorate-General for Water, the project combined restoration work with species monitoring, captive breeding and agreements with local stakeholders. Its final results report more than 3,600 hectares of wetlands restored. In 2024, the project acquired the 90-hectare La Raja estate within El Hondo Natural Park in Alicante province. Together, the La Raja and El Espigar estates total 141 hectares, according to Spain’s environment ministry. Work at these sites included improvements to water management and measures to provide suitable habitat for breeding birds.Elsewhere, restoration work in the Brazo del Este Natural Area in Seville covered 24 hectares and, together with two rehabilitated meanders of a former branch of the Guadalquivir River, created 50 hectares in total. In Murcia, interventions at Moreras Lagoon and Rambla included revegetation, reedbed management and measures to improve wetland conditions. El Hondo is part of Natura 2000, the European Union’s network of protected areas for important habitats and species. The project’s restoration work also supported the objectives of EU legislation covering birds, water and habitats.Captive-bred releases and land stewardship agreements supported the conservation effortThe project’s final results record the release of 3,769 captive-bred marbled ducks in Spain, Italy and Portugal, three times the original target. It also established 15 land stewardship agreements involving a range of stakeholders, including ranchers, rice growers, non-profit organisations and public administrations. These voluntary arrangements support cooperation in the management and protection of natural habitats.Researchers tracked 164 birds fitted with GPS/GSM transmitters to investigate movement patterns, survival and habitat use. The project identified more than 60 wetlands used by the species and developed measures to address threats including accidental hunting, poaching and disease outbreaks associated with botulism and cyanobacteria. Captive breeding and reintroductions have helped reinforce the Spanish population, but they complicate efforts to determine how much of the increase reflects natural population growth. BirdLife International’s marbled duck factsheet notes that reintroductions make population trends in the Iberian Peninsula difficult to interpret. Citing a 2022 estimate, the factsheet states that potentially 95% of the Iberian breeding population consisted of released birds. This estimate should not be assumed to represent the population in 2025.Why the marbled duck remains at riskThe marbled duck is classified as Near Threatened on the global IUCN Red List, with a declining population trend suspected across its range. Habitat loss and degradation, disturbance, climate change and hunting in parts of its range remain concerns. Spain classifies the species as Critically Endangered.There has also been progress at individual sites since the project’s national results were reported. On July 31, 2026, the Segura Hydrographic Confederation reported a record 13 broods at the La Raja lagoons during the 2026 breeding season. This local result does not establish a new national population total, but it provides a further indication of breeding activity at a restored wetland. LIFE Cerceta Pardilla has concluded, leaving continued management of the restored wetlands and monitoring of the duck population as key tasks for the organisations responsible for these sites.