Australian wood duck
| Australian wood duck | |
|---|---|
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| Adult female | |
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| Adult male | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Chenonetta |
| Species: | C. jubata
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| Binomial name | |
| Chenonetta jubata (Latham, 1801)
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| Range in red | |
The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose (Chenonetta jubata) is a type of duck. It is found in Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta.
Description
This duck is about 45–51 cm (18–20 in) long and looks like a small goose. It usually eats by grazing in groups. The male is mostly grey, with a dark brown head. The chest is mottled (covered with colored spots), and they have narrow white and black stripes along the sides. The female has white lines above and below her eyes and a speckled belly. Both males and females have grey wings, black wingtips, and a white patch on their wings. Young ducks look like the females but are lighter in color and have more streaks on their chests.
Habitat
The Australian wood duck is found across 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. Because it finds food on land, it will often be found around deeper lakes that may be unsuitable for other waterbirds.
Feeding
The Australian wood duck eats grasses, grains, clover and other herbs, and occasionally, insects. It is rarely seen on open water, preferring to look for food in shallow water, or in grasslands and crops.
Nesting
The wood duck nests in hollows in trees or in nest-boxes above or near water. Nests are made with a pile of soft down feathers. The female lays 9–11 cream-white eggs.[2] She incubates them while the male stands guard. Once the ducklings are ready to leave the nest, the female flies to the ground and the ducklings will leap to the ground and follow their parents. The males also secure their ducklings closely along with the females.
Australian Wood Duck Media
A family of Australian Wood Ducks in Australia.
Side view of female Australian wood duck, Chenonetta jubata
Female Australian Wood Duck, also Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata) - Scotland Heights Waterfowl Park, Scotland Neck, North Carolina
Side view of male Australian wood duck, Chenonetta jubata
Ducklings in Kings Park, Western Australia
a pair of mature wood ducks with their chicks, beside the motorway in Archerfield, Queensland.
Australian Wood Duck duckling
References
- ↑ BirdLife International. 'Chenonetta jubata'. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 (2016)IUCN. p. e.T22680111A92844188. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22680111A92844188.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ↑ Pizzey, G. and Knight, F. (1997). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.