Saturday 30 December 2017

DESKTOP 1614 - WOOD DUCKS

The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose (Chenonetta jubata) is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta. Traditionally placed in the subfamily Anatinae (dabbling ducks), it might belong to the subfamily Tadorninae (shelducks); the ringed teal may be its closest living relative.

This 45–51 cm duck looks like a small goose, and feeds mostly by grazing in flocks. 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.

The Australian wood duck is widespread in Australia, including Tasmania. It 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.

The Australian wood duck eats grasses, grains, clover and other herbs, and occasionally, insects. It is rarely seen on open water, preferring to forage by dabbling in shallow water, or in grasslands and crops. They nest in cavities in trees or in nest-boxes above or near water. Nests are made with a pile of down. It lays 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. Like Mandarin drakes, the males also secure their ducklings closely along with the females.

Australian wood duck is widespread in its range. This species has benefited from agriculture developments, with creation of dams and pools. It is classified as a game bird, and killed by licensed hunters. This species is not threatened, and numbers are stable.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

4 comments:

  1. Hello Nick, your wood ducks are beautiful. Lovely duck and photo. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing your post. I appreciate all your past visits and comments on my blog in 2017. I wish you and yours all the best in 2018, Happy New Year. Have a happy weekend!

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  2. The coloring is so lustrous! Happy New Year!

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  3. Great shot, and such interesting info! Nothing cuter than chicks tumbling out of the nest to the ground, following that instinct to fly. I've never seen it in the wild, but have seen videos of it. They are interesting sucks.

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