Paradise Shelduck
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| Paradise Shelduck | ||||||||||||||
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 Male, left, female, right, at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
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| Tadorna variegata (Gmelin, 1789) |
The Paradise Shelduck, Tadorna variegata, is a large goose-like duck endemic to New Zealand.[1][2] They are known to the Māori as Putangitangi but now commonly referred to as the "Paradise duck", and are prized game birds. Both the male and female have striking plumage, the male has a black head and barred black body, the female a white head with a chestnut body.[2]
The Paradise Shelducks usually live as pairs,[1] grazing on grass and weeds, and will raid crops, particularly when molting.
Paradise Shelducks form long-term pair bonds, often lasting for life, and defend territories.[3] They have a long breeding season which is between August through December.[2] They reach sexual maturity after two years, and build nests lined with grass and feathers hidden in high grass, hollow trees or beneath rotting logs. The mean clutch size is around nine eggs. Chicks fledge after eight weeks.
Paradise Shelducks were uncommon prior to European settlement, however changes to habitat caused by the conversion of forest to pasture, and the deliberate provisioning on ponds by hunting groups, has led to a large increase in the numbers of these ducks.
The genus name Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and means "pied waterfowl", essentially the same as the English "shelduck".[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Paradise Shelducks TheFeatherSite.com. Retrieved on: January 2, 2008
- ^ a b c Paradise Shelduck Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc. Retrieved on January 2, 2008
- ^ Williams, Murray (1979). "The social structure, breeding and population dynamics of paradise shelduck in the Gisborne-East Coast District" (pdf). Notornis 26 (3): 213-272.
- ^ Kear, Janet (2005). Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press. p. 420. ISBN 0 19 861008 4. http://books.google.com/books?id=MfrdBcKd79wC&pg=RA1-PA439&lpg=RA1-PA439&dq=crested+shelduck&source=web&ots=RS734hgSmI&sig=006C0Hb6hpDK1aAEwu-ivfssJBk#PRA1-PA441,M1.
[edit] External links
- Paradise shelducks – pūtangitangi Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
- Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
- BirdLife International (2004). Tadorna variegata. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
