Why is the blue-billed duck endangered?

Why is the blue-billed duck endangered?

The blue-billed duck is omnivorous, with a preference for small aquatic invertebrates. BirdLife International has classified this species as Near Threatened. Major threats include drainage of deep permanent wetlands, or their degradation as a result of introduced fish, peripheral cattle grazing, salinization, and lowering of ground water.

What does a bluebilled duck look like?

The Blue-billed Duck is a compact diving duck with males having a large scooped bright, light blue bill. Males have a rich deep chestnut plumage overall except the dark head and upper neck and an orange-brown to white area at the centre of the belly.

What kind of Bill does a blue blue duck have?

The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck’s common name. The male has deep chestnut plumage during breeding season, reverting to a dark grey.

Do blue-billed ducks nest in flocks?

Although they usually nest solitarily, outside the breeding season Blue-billed Ducks may congregate in large flocks, sometimes comprising a thousand birds or more, with most of the birds probably juveniles.

How are land uses affecting the blue-billed duck?

Two substantial land uses combine to have a significant impact on the blue-billed duck. These are: the regulation of wetland ecosystems through drainage, flood mitigation and water harvesting; and vegetation loss due to clearing, overgrazing and salinity. Both result in smaller habitat sizes suitable to water birds.

What is the scientific name for a bluebilled duck?

Blue-billed Duck. Basic Information. Scientific Name: Oxyura australis. Featured bird groups: Water birds. Atlas Number: 216. What does it look like?

What does a spotbilled duck look like?

Eastern Spot-billed Duck: Native of Asia, named for red spots at base of yellow-tipped black bill; subspecies occurring in North America generally lacks these spots. Scaled brown overall with buff face, neck, upper breast. Dark crown, nape, eyestripe. Blue speculum with white borders; orange legs and feet.

What is the color of Bill the Duck?

Bill is dull yellow to gray-green (eastern) or orange-yellow (western). Greater Scaup: This large diving duck has a glossy green-black head, white sides and belly, black tail, neck and breast, barred gray flanks and back.

Why is the blue-billed duck called an Australian duck?

The blue-billed duck was described in 1836 by ornithologist John Gould. The specific name australis is derived from the Latin for “southern”, hence Australian. The tail feathers for both the male and female are made up of thick, spine-like shafts. The tail is usually held flat on the surface of the water, or held erect when defensive.

Are blue-billed ducks nomadic?

The Blue-billed Duck is seasonally nomadic. Young birds disperse each year from their natal (birth) swamps on inland New South Wales to non-breeding areas on the Murray River system and coastal lakes of Victoria and South Australia where they moult. Experienced breeders tend to be sedentary.

How many blue-billed ducks are there in Australia?

The Australian population is estimated at 12,000 breeding birds (Environment Australia 2000), although the majority are found on artificial wetlands, for example the main site for this species in Victoria is the Melbourne Western Treatment Works at Werribee. Historic records of Blue-billed Duck in Victoria.

What do blue-billed ducks eat?

The Blue-billed Duck feeds on the surface of the water or by diving. It takes aquatic insects including chironomid fly larvae, caddis flies, dragonflies, flies and water beetle larvae. They may also eat the seeds, buds, stems, leaves and fruit of a wide variety of plants. Feeding occurs in permanent areas of clear fresh water.

What kind of Bill does a blue bill duck have?

Small stiff-tailed diving duck with a relatively slender dished bill. Floats very low in the water, and unlikely to be seen on land. Male has intense chestnut and black plumage, bright blue bill. Female is dark grayish. Usually observed on the water on deep wetlands.

What is the scientific name for a duck?

The scientific name for one of the duck species, the mallard, is Anas platyrhynchos. Almost all domesticated ducks are descendants of the mallard. The Latin word platyrhynchos means flat-nosed which relates to the shape of this duck’s bill. All of these birds belong to the Anatidae family and are in the class Aves.

What kind of duckling has a blue bill?

Breeding males have a blue bill and chestnut bodies. Small and compact diving duck that sits relatively low in the water. Sometimes it cocks its tail up above the water and other times lays it flat on the water’s surface.

What does a bill bird look like in the winter?

Lower face and front of neck are white; black cap extends below eye. Back of neck is black. Eyes are red. Bill is long, thin, and dull olive-yellow. Winter birds are duller gray and juveniles are light gray overall. Wings have white stripes visible in flight.

Do blue-billed ducks walk on land?

They are almost always seen on the water, swimming, feeding or loafing, and on the rare occasions they are seen on land they walk with a penguin-like gait. The Blue-billed Duck is a compact diving duck with males having a large scooped bright, light blue bill.

How big do blue-billed ducks get?

The blue-billed duck (Oxyura australis) is a small Australian stiff-tailed duck, with both the male and female growing to a length of 40 cm (16 in). [2] [3] The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck’s common name.

What is the difference between a male and female bluebill duck?

Blue-billed Ducks are medium-sized ducks with dimorphic plumage, i.e. males and females are different. Male Blue-billed Ducks have brown body plumage, a black head and neck, and the name-giving blue bill. Female Blue-billed Ducks are all mottled grey-brown, with a dark-grey bill.

Are there rare Ducks in Australia?

A rare and endangered species. The Pink-eared Duck (45 cm) is found across most of Australia on inland wetlands. Pink-eared Ducks feed on plant and animal matter filtered through their specially adapted bill. Blue-billed Ducks (44 cm) are stiff-tailed ducks found in SE and SW Australia. They feed on insects and plant materials.

What do ducks eat in Australia?

Australian Wood Ducks (60 cm) are goose-like ducks, found widely across Australia. Feed on grasses and insects. Musk Ducks (65 cm) are found across southern Australia. The male Musk Duck has a characteristic lobe, seen here. They dive for small animals and insects.

What do pink eared ducks eat?

Pink-eared Ducks feed on plant and animal matter filtered through their specially adapted bill. Blue-billed Ducks (44 cm) are stiff-tailed ducks found in SE and SW Australia. They feed on insects and plant materials.

What do Blue ducks tell us about rivers?

They are a key indicator of healthy rivers and streams. They require clean, fast flowing streams in the forested upper catchments of rivers that provide high water quality, low sediment loadings, stable banks, over head canopy cover, and lots of varied invertebrate communities. The more breeding pairs of blue duck the healthier the river.

What is the top part of a duck’s bill called?

The top part of the waterfowl bill is called the upper mandible, and the bottom part, the lower mandible. The upper mandible is affixed to the skull, but the lower mandible can move up and down. The upper and lower mandibles of most dabbling ducks have from 50 to 70 lamellae, but bluewings and greenwings may have 120 to 130 lamellae.

What is the scientific name for a mallard duck?

All birds have a scientific name (actually two names) derived primarily from the Latin or Greek. Anas platyrhynchos is the scientific name for the Mallard. Anas, the “genus” is Latin for duck, and indicates that the Mallard is related to other ducks such as the Pintail, Gadwall, and Black Duck.

How long can blue-billed ducks stay underwater?

Blue-billed ducks can stay underwater for 10 seconds on average while feeding. There is evidence that O. australis is partly migratory, with movement from breeding swamps of inland NSW to the Murray River during autumn and winter. Frith claims O. australis is the most migratory of all Australian ducks.

What is the name of the duck with a stiff tail?

1 Ruddy Duck. The ruddy duck is a small, plump duck that is instantly recognizable by its stiff tail, often held upright. 2 Northern Shoveler. Jason Crotty / Flickr / CC by 2.0 The northern shoveler is recognizable not only for its bold, colorful plumage but also for having the biggest bill of … 3 Canvasback. … 4 Harlequin Duck.