Les canards d'Holden Caulfield

Réponse du service Guichet du Savoir

Where do the city's wild animals go in the dead of winter ?
Holden Caulfield wanted to know where the ducks in Central Park go in the winter. Well, they either stay here and tough it out, or they migrate south. But what about the city's other animals? The turtles and frogs in park ponds hibernate. They burrow into the mud under the water and sleep till spring. (The fish, however, stay awake.) Bugs also go into dormancy. "Flies, bees, wasps, beetles—plenty of the animals that live in the leaf litter—dig deep down and become inactive," says Michael Klemens, senior conservationist with the Wildlife Conservation Society. Squirrels engage in more of a partial hibernation; they'll bed down for the coldest parts of winter, but are likely to wake up if there's a warm spell. And then there are rats and raccoons. Thanks to a steady supply of garbage, those suckers are like the city itself: They never sleep.
—Billie Cohen
source : Winter mysteries: solved ! Time Out New York / Issue 533: December 15–28, 2005


Si quelques canards migrent vers le sud pendant l'hiver pour y trouver des températures plus clémentes, beaucoup restent dans Central Park et résistent aux froids de l'hiver. Si les lacs et rivières ne gèlent pas, ils y resteront tout l'hiver résistant aux températures extrêmes des eaux glacées de Central Park.


A number of songbirds such as white-throated sparrows, tufted titmice, juncos, house sparrows, starlings, blue jays, and cardinals either come down from more northern climes to feed on tree seeds in the park, or live in our parks year-round. In Central Park, the bird feeders at Azalea Pond in the Ramble are stocked with bird seed throughout the winter. People who love birds will often put seed out for them under street trees or in back yards throughout this season of ice and snow. If the winter isn't too cold and the park ponds, lakes and rivers don't freeze you can find a number of waterfowl like Canada geese and mallard ducklings.
source : www.city-naturalist.com

Quelques canards à Central Park :
- Canada Goose
- Mallard Duck
- Wood Duck
- Wood Duck
- Mute Swan

Plus précisément, cette page liste les principaux canards que nous pouvons apercevoir dans Central Park pendant l'hiver : Foulques d'Amérique (American Coot), Fuligules à dos blanc (Canvasback Ducks), Colverts (Mallard duck), Cygnes tuberculés (Mute Swan)... et la Bernache du Canada (Canada Goose).
Voir la page intitulée "The Birds of Central Park" pour plus d'informations (cf waterfowl).

A consulter également www.trekearth.com.