Source: Department of Conservation
Perhaps you know your Daffy from your Donald, your Huey from your Louie and Dewey, but do you really know your ducks?
Communications and Media Advisor Krysia Nowak takes a duck-dive into the shallows for a quick wade around the ducks of Aotearoa. Missed the previous episodes? Check them out here:
Ducktales Episode 1: Quacking the case on mallards and grey ducks
Ducktales Episode 2: The Teal Deal
First, I have a confession to make, I left our poor wee pāpango scaup out of Episode 2 – The Teal Deal because I had never heard its less common name ‘black teal’. Never fear, now is their time to shine…
Pāpango/New Zealand scaup
I’m sure you’ve seen this one. Paint it yellow and it could be a rubber-ducky for your bath, this little cutie is the endemic pāpango, or New Zealand scaup.
You’ll see flocks bobbing along lakeshores and river mouths across much of Aotearoa, but while they may look buoyant, they are accomplished divers that can remain underwater for long periods of time, searching for treats like snails and insect larvae at depths of up to 3 metres.
Males are glossy black – hence the descriptive Māori name pāpango – and have bright yellow eyes. The females are less showy, as is often the case in the bird-world, with brown feathers and tan eyes.
Look closely at ‘sleepy looking’ pāpango, there’s likely to be a beady eye following you, even as the bird floats around in circles.
Pāpango aren’t considered threatened, but it’s always a good idea to be decent to ducks (see how at the end of the article).
Pūtangitangi/Paradise shelduck
The mournful cry of this bird inspired its Māori name – pūtangitangi. You might also know it as a ‘parry’, short for paradise shelduck – a bird found only in New Zealand.
One of only a few native birds that have benefited from land-clearing and agriculture, pūtangitangi are not threatened, and they’re a great one to spot on a road trip! Watch paddocks and fields for the distinctive pairs feeding on grasses and clover, females with white heads and males with black heads.
Some pairs mate for life, but are regularly challenged by singles, and they do meet others at the annual communal moult (party time!).
Belonging to a group of ‘goose-like ducks’, these distinguished looking manu/birds formed an important food source for Māori and are still a gamebird today. Adult pūtangitangi are absolutely distinct from other ducks – but the ducklings are frequently confused with the ducklings of the rarer whio. Here’s a quick guide so you don’t duck it up:
Paradise shelducklings look like they’re wearing brown/black helmets, while whio ducklings appear to be wearing wee masks over their eyes like teenage mutant ninja turtles.
Whio/blue duck
I have another confession: I know too much about whio. While I’ve been learning new things about our other ducks writing this series, I have spent quite a bit of time around whio here in Tūrangi. So, cliffhanger – whio are going to get a Ducktales post all of their own. See you soon for the final, final Ducktales, Episode 4!
Be decent to ducks
Be a responsible cat owner, by:
- Desexing and microchipping your cat
- Keeping your cat indoors or contained inside a ‘catio’, especially at night
- Putting your cat in a cattery when you go on holiday
- Never taking them onto public conservation land.
Be a responsible dog owner
Please don’t feed ducks, feeding wild birds can:
- Make them sick or make them starve because they are eating the wrong things
- Make them gather in higher than usual numbers, spreading disease (we’re especially wary of this with H5N1 avian influenza spreading overseas)
- Increase their numbers at a cost to other species (e.g. mallards outcompeting pāteke on Aotea/Great Barrier Island)
- Increase risks to human health by increasing the concentration of bird faecal matter
Trap introduced predators at home or in your community
