Bird Watch October 2011
Paradise Shelduck Tadorna variegata
Shelducks are similar to both ducks and geese, but belong to a separate genus called Tadorna, which is derived from Celtic and means pied waterfowl. While various species of Shelduck are found throughout the world, the Paradise Shelduck is unique to New Zealand. Its Maori name is Putangitangi. Most people call it Paradise Duck.
The female has a white head, the male black. They pair for life and defend the same territory year after year. The male emits the deeper ‘honk honk’, the female the higher pitched ‘eeeek’. Breeding season runs from August to December, with one clutch of between 5-15 eggs laid in a nest of grass lined with down. Nests are usually placed on the ground, concealed under logs or clumps of grass, but occasionally they are located in holes high in a tree. Recently a group of us spotted a pair perched high in a tree deep within the Brook Sanctuary. They looked very odd indeed, especially as Paradise Ducks are usually associated with pastureland, where they graze on the seed heads of grasses, clover and grains, and wetlands, where they feed on aquatic weeds, crustaceans and molluscs.
The female incubates the eggs, leaving them unattended 2 to 3 times a day in order to feed. After the chicks hatch, both parents look after them. They are excellent and very protective parents. By the time the chicks fledge at around 8 weeks of age, they all resemble adult males. The females have small white patches around their eyes and bills which expand over the next few months to cover their heads and tops of their necks.
During their moulting period from December to February, they congregate in flocks on small lakes. While moulting they are unable to fly, making them vulnerable to hunters. Paradise Ducks were a valuable food source for Maori, who rounded them by the hundreds and thousands while they were moulting. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Paradise Ducks were not common and their numbers were declining in the 19thcentury. Ironically, the conversion of forests to pastureland, so devastating for many birds, was advantageous to the Paradise Duck. They also benefited from the creation of stock ponds and the introduction of hunting restrictions. They are now common and widespread across New Zealand.
Backyard Bird Monitoring Data
Preferring pastures and wetlands, it is not surprising few people report seeing Paradise Ducks during their garden surveys, although they may be spotted flying overhead. The graph below shows the Paradise Ducks reported in our Garden Surveys during the two year period between October 2009 and September 2011. Of the 249 surveys conducted during the 12 months between October 2009 and September 2010, Paradise Ducks (numbering between 1 and 4) were seen in only 6 surveys. The total recorded during this period was 15 birds (most seen at one time). This doesn’t seem like many, however, this is three times higher than during the next 12 months in which a total of 5 Paradise Ducks (numbering 1 or 2) were reported in only 3 of the 237 surveys conducted between October 2010 and September 2011.
