Maned Duck
Chenonetta jubata
Small upright duck. Male is gray with a brown head, while the female is more heavily marked with pale marks on face. Nests in tree-hollows and can be quite noisy when perched up in the branches. Often abundant in urban parklands and grassy areas.
Identification
This 45–51 cm duck looks like a small goose, and mostly feeds by grazing in flocks.<p>The male is grey with a dark brown head and mottled breast. The female has white stripes above and below the eye and mottled underparts. Both sexes have grey wings with black primaries and a white speculum. Juveniles are similar to adult females, but lighter and with a more streaky breast.
Taxonomy
The Australian wood duck was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Anas jubata.<p>The flightless New Zealand species Chenonetta finschi (Finsch's duck) which was formerly believed to constitute a monotypic genus (Euryanas) has been determined to belong to Chenonetta. It became extinct before scientists could properly survey the New Zealand avifauna, but possibly as late as 1870 (based on a report of a flightless goose caught in Ōpōtiki.)<p>Chenonetta: Greek: χην khēn, χηνος khēnos "goose"; νηττα nētta "duck".jubata: Latin: iubatus "maned, crested", from iuba "mane, crest"
- Scientific name
- Chenonetta jubata
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Chenonetta
Range and habitat
The Australian wood duck is widespread in Australia, including Tasmania. The Australian wood duck is found in grasslands, open woodlands, wetlands, flooded pastures and along the coast in inlets and bays. It is also common on farmland with dams, as well as around rice fields, sewage ponds and in urban parks. It will often be found around deeper lakes that may be unsuitable for other waterbirds' foraging, as it prefers to forage on land. It has been recorded as a vagrant in New Zealand, although in 2015 and 2016 a pair successfully bred there.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The most common call is a loud, rising croaky gnow sound by the females, and the male call is the same except smoother, shorter and higher than the females. Staccato chattering is also present in flocks.<p>Australian wood duck is widespread in its geographic range and can be observed in a range of environments. This species has benefited from agriculture and urban developments due to the abundance of fresh water sources. In comparison to other species of Australian ducks, the Australian Wood Duck is very common in urban areas, especially near permanent water sources such as dams, ponds, pools and irrigated grass areas such as sporting facilities, urban parks and residential nature strips.<p>The Australian Wood Duck is classified as a game bird in states and territories where recreational hunting is permitted and with the exception of the Australian Capital Territory, Australian Wood Duck can be harvested throughout its geographic range by licensed hunters in all states and territories either as a pest animal or during declared recreational hunting seasons.<p>In Western Australia the Australian Wood Duck is a declared pest of agriculture in the South West Land Division of WA under the provisions of Section 35 the Agriculture and Related Resources Protection Act 1976 and can be legally harvested on private land between the 1st January and the 30th June, in accordance with a restricted open season notice, without the need to obtain a damage licence from the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation.<p>In New South Wales the Australian Wood Duck along with 9 other species of Australian duck can be harvested under the NSW Native Game Bird Management Program on private property by land owners and recreational hunters who have passed the nationally recognised 'Waterfowl Identification Test' (WIT) and hold the appropriate New South Wales Game license.<p>In Queensland Australian Wood Ducks along with other species of waterfowl can be harvested by under the appropriate Damage Mitigation Permit (DMP) for culling and dispersal of wildlife identified as posing a risk of damage to property or agricultural production.<p>In addition to recreational and mitigation harvesting, Australian Wood Duck ('Ngawurk' in the Dja Dja Wurrung language ) and other species of waterfowl can be harvested by traditional owners using traditional and modern methods in all states and territories.<p>This species is not threatened and due to its environmental adaptability, its numbers are considered to be ascending.<p>Australian wood duck nests in cavities in trees or in nest-boxes above or near water. Nests are made with a pile of down.<p>This duck nests in a tree cavity laying 9–11 cream-white eggs, similar to the Mandarin ducks. The female incubates them while the male stands guard. Once the ducklings are ready to leave the nest, the female flies to the ground and the duckling will leap to the ground and follow their parents. The males also secure their ducklings closely along with the females.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-eared Warbler
Malcorus pectoralis
A long-tailed, pale prinia-like warbler with a rufous facial patch on the side of the head and a neat black band across the throat on otherwise white underparts. The juvenile may lack the throat band and have duller facial patches. Singles and pairs avoid trees, preferring arid open shrubland on sparsely vegetated plains, where they forage on low shrubs, sometimes hopping between bushes on the ground with the tail cocked. The species sings a distinctive high-pitched shrill “tzeee” note 6-20 times in rapid succession, often betraying its presence.
Scarlet Myzomela
Myzomela sanguinolenta
Tiny honeyeater. Adult males have brilliant red coloration on the face and back; it also extends down onto the breast. The rest of the male’s breast and underparts are predominantly white; its wings and tail are black. Adult females are uniformly pale brown-gray with faint red on the face. Young birds are similar to adult females but have varying amounts of red. Take care not to confuse the plain female/young birds with other plain honeyeaters such as Brown Honeyeater and Dusky Honeyeater. Found in wetter parts of coastal eastern Australia; this includes forests at higher elevations and mangroves. Has a distinctive high-pitched song that is helpful to learn for identifying this species as it often feeds high in the canopy.
Dark-throated Oriole
Oriolus xanthonotus
A streak-breasted oriole with a rather long, lipstick-pink bill. Male is yellow with a glossy black hood and dark wings. Female is olive-green above. Both sexes have dark red eyes. On Borneo absent from the northern parts of the island, where replaced by the very similar Ventriloquial Oriole. Inhabits lowland and hill forests and forest edges, typically moving in the upper levels of the forest. Sometimes found singly, sometimes in pairs or mixed flocks. Song is short but fluidly melodic, often with the last note stretched out. Gives a harsh, jay-like “chew!”.
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