Mareca fossil map
Where fossils of Mareca have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 5.333 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Anatidae |
| Named by | Stephens 1824 |
| Fossil records | 47 occurrences at 36 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Greece, Egypt, Russia, United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Italy, Mexico, Virgin Islands, U.S., Spain … |
| Rock formations | txn:39624, Gabal Silsila, Gebel Silsila-YCS, Yorktown, San Pedro, Bermont |
About Mareca
Mareca is a genus or subgenus of ducks in the family Anatidae that includes the wigeons.
The genus Mareca was introduced by English naturalist James Francis Stephens in 1824. The type species is the Eurasian wigeon. The name of the genus is from the Portuguese word Marreco for a small duck. The species now placed in this genus were formerly placed in the genus Anas. A molecular phylogentic study comparing mitochondrial DNA sequences published in 2009 found that the genus Anas, as then defined, was not monophyletic. Based on the published phylogeny, the genus Anas was split into four monophyletic genera with five extant species moved into the resurrected genus Mareca.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Mareca (revision 1380727523), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q28106682.
