From Opus

Male
Photo by Lindsay Cooke
Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, November 2004

Oxyura australis

[edit] Identification

40cm
Non breeding Male

• Slate-blue bill
• Glossy black head and neck
• Chestnut back and wings
• Grey feet
• Brown iris
  

Female
Photo by julien
Lake Wendouree, Victoria, Australia, October 2004

Breeding Male

• Bright blue bill
• Black head with white specks
• Chestnut back and wings
  

Female

• Dark brown head
• Mottled back and wings
• Dark grey brown bill and feet
• Brown iris
  

Immature :similar to adult female, paler and grey-green bill.

[edit] Distribution

Patchily distributed in south-western and south-eastern Australia and Tasmania.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

[edit] Habitat

Breeds beside deep, heavily vegetated fresh water; in winter on fresh water of any kind.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

The female builds the nest. The clutch consists of 3-12 eggs (usually 5-6) which are incubated for 26-28 days.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes molluscs, caddis flies, dragonflies, water beetle larvae as well as seeds, buds, and fruit of emergent and submerged plants.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Wikipedia

• List of references

[edit] External Links