New Waterfowl Species on Existing Maps

[lyric vortex]

Something I really like about Revontuli Coast is that it has a variety of waterfowl species available to hunt. I enjoy hunting waterfowl in this game, and I find it very fun to hunt waterfowl in places where you can hunt several different species at once. Waterfowl help to add more life to the skies and waterways of any map. In addition, having a variety of waterfowl species in any given location is very realistic to how it usually is in real life. There's many waterfowl species that would make for interesting additions to the game, and all of them would help to fill in existing maps with more species. Below are some that I'd really like to see in the game.

Northern Pintail (Layton Lake, New England Mountains, Mississippi Acres)
Gadwall (Layton Lake, Silver Ridge Peaks, and Mississippi Acres)
White-faced Whistling Duck (Vurhonga Savanna and Parque Fernando)
Egyptian Goose (Vurhonga Savanna)
Red Shoveler (Parque Fernando - suggested by MooseDragon247)
Snow Goose (Yukon Valley, Layton Lake)
Blue-Winged Teal (Silver Ridge Peaks, Mississippi Acres)
Paradise Shelduck (Te Awaroa)
Pacific Black Duck (Te Awaroa and Emerald Coast)
Wood Duck (Mississippi Acres. New England Mountains and Layton Lake)
American Black Duck (Mississippi Acres and New England Mountains)
Australian Shelduck (Emerald Coast)

I will talk more about these individual species in the forum thread, along with some more ideas regarding improvements to waterfowl in the game.

Northern Pintail (Layton Lake, Mississippi Acres, New England Mountains)
This is a species of duck with a wide range across the Northern Hemisphere, one that has been repeatedly requested by players. Layton Lake is a map that would definitely benefit from having more waterfowl, because there are lots of lakes on Layton, and the map only has Mallards on it currently. Layton and New England both lie well within this species’ range, and both of them could benefit from the addition of a new duck species (especially Layton). It could also be found at all of the lakes on Mississippi Acres.

Gadwall (Layton Lake, Silver Ridge Peaks, and Mississippi Acres)
Another common duck with a wide range in the Northern Hemisphere. It is commonly found in open wetlands, such as lakes and marshes. It would fit in very well on Layton, Silver Ridge Peaks and Mississippi. All of these maps have plenty of water. Layton and Mississippi only have one waterfowl species currently, making them both ideal for the addition of new ducks. SRP doesn't have any waterfowl at all currently, so having a new duck species there would add a lot more life to the map. All three of these maps could benefit from the addition of this species.

White-faced Whistling Duck (Vurhonga Savanna and Parque Fernando)
The Eurasian Wigeon was added to Vurhonga in a previous update, and this was the first waterfowl species to be added to Vurhonga Savanna. The White-faced Whistling Duck would be another great addition, since it is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. This species would also be very fitting for Vurhonga because it has a wide range in Africa. They are also found in South America so they would fit well on Parque Fernando. White-faced Whistling Ducks also have a pretty unique look, meaning that they would stand out from the other ducks in the game.

Egyptian Goose (Vurhonga Savanna)
The Egyptian Goose is widespread throughout Africa. It can be found in most open wetlands in Africa south of the Sahara. Flocks of geese on Vurhonga would add to the immersion of the map. Much like the White-Faced Whistling Duck, this species also has a unique look from all of the other waterfowl species in the game. As such, I think that this species would be a really unique addition to Vurhonga, and it could also be included on a potential second Africa map if one were to be added in the future. There are also feral populations of Egyptian Geese in Western Europe, meaning that they could also be included on a future map based in the UK. There's definitely a lot of potential for this one.

Snow Goose (Yukon Valley, Layton Lake)
The addition of Canada Geese to Yukon Valley was a good first step toward making Yukon Valley more filled-in with a greater variety of species. However, it would also be cool to get some brand new waterfowl on the map, and the Snow Goose would be an excellent addition. They could also be added to Layton Lake, since Layton lies within the migration route of this species. In addition, Snow Geese have two very different color morphs, one that is white and one that is much darker. This would set them apart from the other species of geese in the game. I know this has been a popular waterfowl species in theHunter Classic, so I'm sure that it would be appreciated by COTW's playerbase as well.

Paradise Shelduck (Te Awaroa)
Also known simply as the Paradise Duck, this is a waterfowl species that is endemic to New Zealand. It is a very widely hunted species in New Zealand. Since we now have Mallards on Te Awaroa, why not add another duck species there as well? Paradise Shelducks have a unique coloration and would be something different from the other duck species in the game. This would also give Te Awaroa another unique species, which would give players more of an incentive to hunt there.

[fringe hearth]

This would be an excellent suggestion. I don't want to see mallards on any more maps. Be nice to have different ducks and geese

[lyric vortex]

Wood Duck (Mississippi Acres, New England Mountains, and Layton Lake)
Mississippi Acres would be the perfect habitat for more waterfowl, since it has so much swampland and open water for waterfowl to be found in. The Wood Duck would be the perfect addition to Mississippi, as these ducks live in exactly the type of environment that is prevalent throughout Mississippi Acres. In addition, male Wood Ducks are very colorful and look quite distinctive from the other ducks we have in the game. I think this duck species could easily become a community favorite. They could also potentially be added to New England Mountains & Layton Lake, as both of those maps are also within the Wood Duck's range. However, Mississippi would definitely have the most Wood Ducks because it has the best habitat for them.

[south mural]

The Eurasian Wigeon in Africa only go as far as Lake Victoria therefore the 2 species here would be better for Vurhonga. I also noticed a familiar bird from a reserve I posted a while back, guess you mentioning how they would work as a backfill was some next level foreshadowing (https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1070132029905178645) and I refer to the White-faced Whistling Duck

[lyric vortex]

Ever since we got the Eurasian Wigeon on Vurhonga, I've been hoping for another waterfowl species to be added there that would actually fit the map. That's why I decided to mention the White-Faced Whistling Duck and Egyptian Goose in this post. There's obviously other waterfowl species that could be added to Vurhonga, but those two are the ones that I'd like to see there the most.

And finally, as a smaller QOL thing, I think that the waterfowl species that we currently have in the game should be changed to make less noise than they do currently. The way things are now, waterfowl (especially ducks) can be very noisy at times, and I think they should only make constant vocalizations once they've landed or while they're coming in to land. Realistically, a flock of ducks that's simply flying overhead isn't going to be calling out and quacking constantly.

[copper musk]

I believe the final map that should include mallards is Mississippi

[south mural]

If you want a second and possibly even a third waterfowl species for Parque here is a pair: Red Shoveler and Chiloe Wigeon (it’s your choice though)

[sinful shore]

I hope one day to have so many species to be able to see this in Cotw..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q16i55LA-aU&ab_channel=UWCAdventures

[copper musk]

Although I’d love to have snow goose on Yukon they don’t live there as far as I’m aware and only live far up in Canada and Alaska for breeding and not where Yukon takes place they do winter in Layton though.

[shell tree]

Idk it looks like Yukon is in the proper area for snow goose to be there

[lyric vortex]

Yukon Valley is based on the interior of Alaska, meaning that it lies near the beginning of the Snow Goose's migration route, so it's entirely plausible to include them there.

[lyric vortex]

The Red Shoveler seems like it would be a very fitting addition to Parque, so I would support adding them to the map. It would be nice to have a second duck species on Parque, although I will admit that Parque wasn't the first map I thought about when I was considering new waterfowl species.

[lyric vortex]

In addition to other species I've previously mentioned, one more waterfowl species that I'd love to see added to the game is the American Black Duck. This species is found throughout much of eastern North America, and is closely related to the Mallard. It would be a great addition to both New England Mountains and Mississippi Acres.

The Black Duck also sometimes hybridizes with Mallards, which would make for a neat rare variation as well

[south mural]

Fair enough, I always figured Parque could use some more waterfowl given the presence of large lakes and that buffalo-infested swamp in the east

[copper musk]

Edit*
I stand completely corrected infact my sources are not nearly as good for snow geese as I thought I’m sorry man

[lyric vortex]

Yeah fair enough. Do you have any thoughts about my suggestion for the American Black Duck?

[fringe hearth]

Maybe too close to the mallard. But it might work

[lyric vortex]

I mean, the hybrid variant (the second picture I posted of it) would probably be a rare variation, so that's not what all of them would look like.

Normal black ducks have darker plumage than Mallards and lack the green head of the Mallard. The female Black Ducks and Mallards do look pretty similar, but they're not really the ones that you'd be going after anyway.

[fringe hearth]

Okay

[sinful shore]

Currently in the game the variations of Hybrid Brown Mallard are crosses with Black Duck, so it would not be unusual to have both species in Layton

[sacred hemlock]

wood ducks would be good on new england too

[lyric vortex]

While the original purpose of this idea was to discuss brand new waterfowl species to introduce into the game's animal roster, there are also a few species that we already have in the game that could potentially be backfilled onto existing maps to give us even more variety. Here are a few examples:
Eurasian Teal and Tufted Duck (Hirschfelden)
Cinnamon Teal (Silver Ridge Peaks)
Mallard (Mississippi Acres)
Canada Goose (New England Mountains and Layton Lake)

The Eurasian Teal and Tufted Duck are both only on Revontuli currently, so I think it would be nice to have both of them on a second map. The Canada Goose might be a good addition to Layton Lake to give players a little more variety of waterfowl to pursue on this base-game map. However, it wouldn’t be necessary to backfill the Canada Goose onto Layton if the Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Wood Duck, and Snow Goose were to be added here instead. Cinnamon Teal are only on Parque currently, but the entire western United States lies within their breeding range, so SRP would be a great place to backfill them. Mallards would be a good addition to Mississippi just to give the map a little more waterfowl variety, which I think Mississippi desperately needs. Finally, Canada Geese are pretty common in New England so they would fit in perfectly on NEM. Canada Geese are common throughout North America, so it would be great to have them on NEM and Layton to give us more places to hunt them in the game.

[lyric vortex]

Here's a little overview of some of these new waterfowl species I've suggested

[lyric vortex]

I'm just going to bump this up so more people can see it.

[covert basin]

I agree with this because I love waterfowl hunting

[lyric vortex]

If anyone would like to suggest any other waterfowl species to add to existing maps, go ahead!

[south mural]

Bumping this up

[lyric vortex]

bump

[umbral locust]

You should add african pygmy geese to africa

[lyric vortex]

I'll do some research and see if they would fit

[umbral locust]

Okay

[lyric vortex]

bump

[umbral locust]

Did the pygmy goose end up fitting?

[lyric vortex]

I came to the conclusion that adding it to Vurhonga alongside the White-Faced Whistling Duck, Egyptian Goose, and the existing Eurasian Wigeon would make Vurhonga too much of a waterfowl-heavy map. Vurhonga just doesn't have enough water on the map to justify having four waterfowl species imo. If the Eurasian Wigeon was removed from the map (which would fit better with Vurhonga's location, but also doesn't seem very likely to actually happen) then maybe I could see them add the Pygmy Goose. But if we're keeping the existing species on the existing maps and just adding more species to them, then I think the Whistling Duck and Egyptian Goose would be more worthwhile additions to Vurhonga.

[umbral locust]

I can understand that

[covert basin]

what abt Australian Shelduck on emerald coast

[south mural]

This is their range in Australia, it does show them as being a bit far south
But seeing as how we got Hog Deer, I could see it happening, plus they look pretty cool

[covert basin]

Yeah I just think it's sorta wierd that we didn't get any ducks

[south mural]

Male and Female Australian Shelduck for reference

[hardy notch]

Bump

[lyric vortex]

Just going to bump this up again

One more species I'd like to see included on existing maps is the Blue Winged Teal, which could be included on both Silver Ridge Peaks and Mississippi Acres.

[south mural]

They would be fitting alongside the Gadwalls and Cinnamon Teals

[lyric vortex]

For sure

[copper musk]

I’d absolutely love to see blue winged teals,they are such beautiful birds….

[umbral locust]

We need to get this voted up way more

[umbral locust]

Bump

[south mural]

Bump

[copper musk]

Absolutely need this ingame.

[lyric vortex]

bump

[lyric vortex]

I went back to the original post and made a few changes. I think in hindsight that Wood Ducks would be a good addition to Layton Lake, and White-Faced Whistling Ducks could also be included on Parque Fernando

[lyric vortex]

Also, I changed this post to have the Canada Goose on Layton Lake, since I don't think we need another map with Green Winged Teal at this point.

[copper musk]

I think layton could get both,there’s only 9 species in layton.

[lyric vortex]

I don't think Layton needs to become a super waterfowl-heavy map, so one or the other is better imo

[copper musk]

Why not??? Layton is set up perfectly for that purpose,tons of water,Tall Reeds.If EW doesn’t want to face the backlash of having yet another lower 48 map,you might as well add as much waterfowl,birds,small game to the current maps to avoid that.

[lyric vortex]

That's a fair point. My only concern is, wouldn't it be a bit much to have Mallard, Green-Winged Teal, Canada Goose, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Snow Goose and Wood Duck all on the same map? That's almost as many waterfowl species as Revontuli. I'm just a bit surprised that you don't think that's too many waterfowl species.

[copper musk]

I think that would be great.There isn’t much more big game you can add (with the exception of Mtn goat and Stone Sheep) to Layton,might as well fill it up with birds,small mammals,etc,Layton needs that draw,it’s losing popularity.

[lyric vortex]

That's true. I guess it couldn't hurt Layton much if they just filled it with a ton of huntable birds. I do hope that the little ambient birds that you can't hunt will get removed though, the amount of times I've thought they were ducks or geese while hunting on the base game maps is insane.

[copper musk]

They appear to be modeled after Eurasian Collared Dove,change the model a bit,make it claimable and you have a new species.

[lyric vortex]

You know, that would actually be a really good addition to Hirschfelden. But for Layton I'd prefer to have an upland game bird that's actually native to the Pacific Northwest instead, like some sort of grouse.

[copper musk]

Tons of empty slots for more animals,layton is also split up by big,wide rivers,perfect for creating set home ranges.

[lyric vortex]

Very true! I would like to see the home ranges on Layton reworked at some point, and if they'd be adding new species alongside that it would be a great QOL update to the map.

[elder scarab]

Couldn't Big horn Sheep, Mountain lions , and Mule Deer also added to Layton. I wouldn't mind seeing Beaver also if they are ever added to the game.

[copper musk]

Bighorn would be cool,but Stone sheep fit that role fairly well,Mule Deer are bigger Blacktail,Mountain Lions might make Layton too hard for new players,as much as I’d love to see them on there,same would apply to lynx on hirsh.

[elder scarab]

Stone sheep aren't In Washington or Oregon

[lyric vortex]

I don't think it would make much sense to have Mule Deer and Blacktail on Layton since they're just different subspecies of the same animal. Bighorns would be a good addition to the mountainous areas (Stone Sheep aren't really found where Layton seems to be located). Mountain Lions I could maybe see them being added in the higher areas but the problem is that they'd be spooking most other species. Mountain Lions would have to be in very small numbers since otherwise they'd make it too difficult for new players.

[copper musk]

Really??? I could’ve sworn they ranged down to Washington??? Very interesting.

[lyric vortex]

As far as I know Stone Sheep are only in British Columbia.

[elder scarab]

This is a great suggestion! I would love to have all these you have suggested.

[lyric vortex]

thanks

[lyric vortex]

On that note, I think I'm gonna make a post, or maybe two separate posts (one for Layton and one for Hirschfelden) at some point detailing all of the changes I would make to the base game maps. Expect to see that posted in #1067511606373785730 sometime in the next two weeks.

[copper musk]

Sounds good!

[elder scarab]

bump

[south mural]

Bump

[lyric vortex]

Two more potential new waterfowl species include the Pacific Black Duck and Australian Shelduck. Both are widespread in Australia and could potentially be added to Emerald Coast. The Pacific Black Duck could also be added to Te Awaroa.

[low moat]

What do y'all think about eiders,scorers and long-tailed ducks for revontuli.

They also could make some of the islands exesable by boat fast travel, I often visited the åland archipelago in Finnland that looks a lot like the islands in rev and eider hunting is a big thing there.

[lyric vortex]

I'd prefer it if those species were saved for a brand new map. We already have so many waterfowl species on Revontuli, and I wouldn't want that map to become too overcrowded with waterfowl. This is just my personal opinion obviously.

[low moat]

I get what you mean but eider is the fav waterfowl for many fins, and was/is commonly hunted tho the EU says that we should stop hunting them that's why the seasons closed rn here in Sweden

[lyric vortex]

I feel like it would make more sense for Eiders to be included on a new map, like #1070045518002147458

[low moat]

Why do you think that?

[lyric vortex]

Like I said before, Revontuli has a lot of waterfowl already, so in my opinion it doesn't need any more new waterfowl since it already has a lot of waterfowl from Finland represented. But who knows, maybe we'll get a new map with Eider and then they can be backfilled onto Revontuli. That would be fine with me.

[low moat]

Get it thank you

[low moat]

You could add it to Hirsch Couse their invasive in Germany.

[queen zealot]

I Think That Having Black Swans On Te Awaroa And Emerald Coast Would Be Nice As Well.

[wet swift]

If they wanted to add waterfowl unique to NZ black swans and Parries would be the best picks. Maybe the greyducks (known as Pacific black ducks in Australia) could also be added and be found on both Te Awaroa and Emerald Coast.

Black swans are also found in Australia but are fully protected in every state so can’t be hunted like here in New Zealand. Emerald Coast is a bit tricky though as it’s set in Queensland which has basically banned waterfowl hunting IRL. It’s legal in other Australian states so I don’t think it’s too far fetched.

[low moat]

Black swans would be Hella cool, do you use decoys for em

[low moat]

They have stuff like hog deer and crocs so I think you can stretch it a bit

[queen zealot]

Crocs And Hog Deer Can Both Be Hunted, Crocs Only When They Are A Threat To You, Though.

[wet swift]

I have some interesting references for Queensland in this regard. Not sure this is the best place to post them as it’s not related to waterfowl but if no one minds I can.

[low moat]

And hog Deer aren't found in the area that EC is in

[queen zealot]

True, But Vagrant Animals Have Been Occasionally Spotted In Queensland

[wet swift]

Crocs require a special permit for individual problem animals which isn’t often handed out, usually they try to relocate them before hunting them though. The government does do culls for overpopulated areas occasionally though so again not too far fetched.

[low moat]

They'res also mag pier geese Wich I think you can't hunt at all

[wet swift]

There are a few game reserves in Queensland that have hog deer, the same goes for banteng. The true feral hog deer populations are only found in a few small areas of Victoria and the only truely feral populations of banteng are found in a tiny area of the Northern Territory, both areas are nowhere near Queensland. There is no public land open to hunting in Queensland so it’s illegal outside of private property (which is why EW stressed Emerald Coast is set on I a private property before release). I think it’s mostly based on this IRL game reserve: https://www.broadsoundsafari.com/species-available

It’s in Queensland and has populations of banteng and hog deer as well as water buffalo and several other deer species. Also Salties are extremely common in Northern Queensland.

I’ve only hunted in Victoria IRL but have a fair bit of info on the rest of Australia that’s pretty helpful.

[low moat]

Ok I still would love to see dingos, scrub bulls and more fowl on EC

[wet swift]

Anyway back on topic, my pick for a duck species for Emerald Coast would be the pink-eared duck. They can be hunted in much of Australia and are definitely one of the prettiest species found there.

[low moat]

Parys and Gray's could also be added to NZ tho

[wet swift]

Yeah definitely, greys could be found on Emerald Coast and Te Awaroa and parries could be unique to NZ as a duck species that are hunted like geese on land rather than over water.

[low moat]

Canadian garden poopers could also be added to NZ

[south mural]

The heck is a “Parries”

[queen zealot]

Paradise Ducks I Think

[south mural]

That would make sense

[low moat]

Yes parries I'd an ausie/NZ slang for them like mulees in the Americas

[umbral locust]

Bump

[umbral locust]

Bump

[south mural]

Bump

[copper musk]

I do really need the whole flying into blinds thing to be fixed.

[lyric vortex]

bump

[south mural]

Bumping this up

[lyric vortex]

The Gadwall has now been added with the new Salzwiesen Park map, which isn't necessarily what I wanted (I wanted them to be added to existing maps), but I'll take it I guess.

I still want to see the rest of these waterfowl species in the game, either on existing maps or new maps (or both, tbh)

[low moat]

Gadwall on Mississippi would be cool af

[weary flame]

Bump

[sacred yacht]

https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1161769151744978974

[lyric vortex]

bump for more waterfowl