Australian Shelduck

Endemic to southwestern and southeastern Australia and Tasmania, Australian or Chestnut-breasted Shelducks (Tadorna Tadornoides) are primarily lowland coastal birds, but small numbers may shift to highland breeding areas up to 6,000 feet. The males are mostly dark, with a chestnut breast. They have white neck collars and dark green heads. The females are similar, but they have white around the eyes and are smaller. Both males and females show a white wing during flight. Generally alert and unapproachable, disturbed flocks rise rapidly and noisily and fly to save waters. However, ducks residing in city parks and urban waterways tend to become rather tame and confiding. They commonly fly in long skeins or V-formation, often at great heights. Wintering ducks sometimes shift to larger wetlands, estuaries, lagoons and coastal shorelines. Australian Shelduck (Tadorna Tadornoides) are even observed at sea and in saline habitat regular sojourns are undertaken in quest of fresh water. Feeding in the evening and early morning, chiefly by grazing in pasture lands they prefer leaves and seeds of plants, sedges, algae, also aquatic invertebrates (insects, crustaceans, molluscs) and small fish. Breeding is initiated in June and July. Weather affects courtship duration with displaying continuing all day on cool, overcast days, whereas activity is sharply curtailed on warm, sunny days. Strong, long-term pair bonds are typical, but if pairs fail to reproduce, females will probably select new mates the following season. While female are initially dominant in the repulsion of intruders, the commotion arising from territorial disputes encourages drakes to undertake most of the fighting, and some battles are violent. Non-breeding shelducks only rarely perch in trees, but nests are typically located in living or dead tree hollows in lightly timbered country to one hundred feet above the ground. In the absence of trees, rabbit burrows, shallow caves, limestone crevices, holes in backs or cliffs, island shores and salt marshes are used.