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Plumed Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna eytoni
-27.5548, 152.339
Field Notes
Description:
The plumed whistling-duck, aka grass whistle duck, is an Australian native species, and is easily identified by its shrill whistling call. It is a predominantly brown-coloured duck with a long neck and characteristic plumes arising from its flanks. The sexes are similar in appearance, although the males tend to be larger, with longer plumes. It's a beautiful species, but unusual in that they rarely swim and never dive for food in bodies of water like other ducks. They roost in large flocks by water during the day, but move to surrounding grassland areas at night to feed. They pluck grass (like a goose) and also take food from the water by dabbling from the surface.
Habitat:
Spotted at the freshwater lakes on the campus of University of Queensland, Gatton, southeast Queensland. They range across Australia's northern and eastern areas, and are also found in New Guinea. The preferred habitat is tall grassland and savanna, often near bodies of water, but also includes pastoral areas which provide dams for water and pasture on which to graze.
Notes:
A video I found online - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qlRlJapI0A Listen to the sound of these ducks. They sound more like a massive flock of parrots. Quite amazing.
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