Alternative name: (Maori) Putangitangi
- Tadorna variegata
Identification
63–71 cm (24¾-28 in)
Male
- Black head
- Dark grey body with fine barring
Female
- White head, chestnut body
Flight
White wings, with dark primaries and iridescent green secondaries
Distribution
New Zealand: found on North, South and Stewart islands
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Farmland, lakes, riverbeds, coastal lagoons, estuaries and urban parks.
Behaviour
Breeding
Nests are built in high grass, lined with grass and feathers. The clutch contains 5-15 white eggs which incubated by the female for 30-35 days. The chicks fledge after 8 weeks.
Diet
Their diet consists of grass and clover, grass and weed seeds, and stubble or standing crops of peas or grain, and aquatic vegetation.
Vocalisation
Very vocal and the male call is a zonk-zonk…, and the female a shrill zeek-zeek.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Wikipedia contributors. (2018, March 12). Paradise shelduck. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:49, October 26, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paradise_shelduck&oldid=830013265
- BirdForum member observations
- Williams, M.J. 2013. Paradise shelduck. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. http://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Paradise Shelduck. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Paradise_Shelduck
