Long-tailed Duck

Scientific Name: Clangula hyemalis

Range / Habitat: Breeds in ponds, streams, and other wetlands in the circumpolar Arctic. Winters on open ocean or on large freshwater lakes in northern latitudes.

Field Notes: Medium-sized diving duck. Mostly black-and-white plumage, varying throughout year in a series of complicated moults. Black wings in all plumages. Male has long central tail feathers and often a pink band near tip of black bill.

Personal Notes: Seen on Lake Myvatn in Iceland. Colloquially known as Oldsquaw.

Greater Scaup

Scientific Name: Aythya marila

Range / Habitat: Breeds on shallow, small lakes, rivers and pools in tundra and wooded tundra zones at high latitudes throughout the northern hemisphere. Winters mainly on coasts at lower latitudes, though can be found on inland lakes, particularly in central flyway of US.

Field Notes: Quite similar to Lesser Scaup and can overlap in habitat and the much discussed head colour. Overall, smooth head, larger black nail in bill, and white extending further down sides.

Personal Notes: We finally saw both scaups to compare on Albert Lea Lake in southern Minnesota. Only then did we realize the bottom photo (which we had taken at an aviary in Utah) was likely of the Greater Scaup.

Red-crested Pochard

Scientific Name: Netta rufina

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Breeds in lowland marshes and lakes in southern Europe and Central Asia, wintering in the Indian Subcontinent and Africa.

Field Notes: Adult male is unmistakeable: rounded orange head, red bill and black breast. Flanks are white, the back brown, and the tail black. The female is mainly a pale brown, with a darker back and crown and a whitish face.

Personal Notes: Seen first at Donana National Park, Spain and later in Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, London.

Blue Duck

Scientific Name: Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos

Population Estimate: 1200 birds

Range / Habitat: Year-round in rapid-flowing rivers and streams in relatively predator-free areas of both North and South Islands.

Field Notes: Unmistakable in range. Blue-grey dabbling duck on rapidly flowing waterways. Black head, flesh-colored bill with black tip, and rust-speckled breast.

Personal Notes: Maori name Whio. Part of an amazing weekend where we saw this rare bird and also the Okarito Kiwi (Rowi) in the wild.

Musk Duck

Scientific Name: Biziura lobata

Population Estimate: 13K - 33K

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found on inland wetlands in the southeast and southwest corners of the country and Tasmania.

Field Notes: Low-slung black duck with wispy tail and wedge-shaped bill. Male with large lobe under bill as above.

Personal Notes: Photographed at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, outside Canberra.

Magpie Goose

Scientific Name: Anseranas semipalmata

Population Estimate: 1M

Range / Habitat: Inland wetlands of northern and eastern Australia, parts of Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.

Field Notes: Large goose with black head, neck and tail. Body white. Light bill. Knob at the top of the head. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Seen at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve outside Canberra

Hardhead

Scientific Name: Aythya australis

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Inland wetlands throughout most of Australia. Vagrant to surrounding items.

Field Notes: All brown duck, darker upper parts, lighter underneath. White rump and white tip to bill. Male with white eye. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Photographed at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, outside Canberra.

Plumed Whistling-duck

Scientific Name: Dendrocygna eytoni

Population Estimate: 100K - 1M, Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Found in inland wetlands in New Guinea and Australia.

Field Notes: Slender, brown-coloured duck with a long neck. Characteristic "tiger" patch with elegant white plumes arising from its flanks. 

Personal Notes: Seen at the Melbourne Zoo, Australia. 

Australian Shelduck

Scientific Name: Tadorna tadornoides

Population Estimate: 340K - 1.2M

Range / Habitat: Found in open wetlands in southern Australia and Tasmania. They occasionally appear in New Zealand. 

Field Notes: Large, black-headed duck with white neck ring and chestnut breast. Black back and wings with large chestnut and white patches in wing. Female with white eye ring and white base of bill, as above. 

Personal Notes: Seen at the Melbourne Zoo, Australia. 

Maned Duck

Scientific Name: Chenonetta jubata

Population Estimate: 200K - 2M

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia, where found in wetlands throughout most of the continent, including Tasmania.

Field Notes: Overall grey duck with dark brown head and black mane as shown in bottom photo. Speckled breast and black under tail coverts. Female with distinctive eye striping.

Personal Notes: Seen at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. Also known as Australian Wood Duck.

Chestnut Teal

Scientific Name: Anas castanea

Population Estimate: 110K

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia, where found on inland wetlands on in the southeast quadrant and along the west coast.

Field Notes: Small dabbling duck. Male with dark green head, chestnut breast and sides, and white spot on flank. Female all brown with lighter tips to feathers. Female similar to Australian Grey Teal but darker overall.

Personal Notes: Seen at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne.

Brown Teal

Scientific Name: Anas chlorotis

Population Estimate: 910 individuals, Endangered status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to New Zealand where found year-round in select wetlands in Northland, Fiordland, and Great Barrier Island. 

Field Notes: Similar coloration to Chestnut Teal of Australia (rare vagrant to New Zealand) but with white eye ring in both males and females. Mallard larger and without white eye ring. 

Personal Notes: Seen in captivity at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellington. The Maori name is Pateke.  

New Zealand Scaup

Scientific Name: Aythya novaeseelandiae

Population Estimate: 5-10K

Range / Habitat: Endemic to New Zealand. Found year-round on deep inland freshwater lakes on both islands.

Field Notes: Small blackish diving duck with typical scaup "rubber-duckie" profile. Light blue bill with black tip in both sexes. Male glossy black with yellow eye as above. Female brownish-black with brown eye and vertical white band at base of bill. Both sexes with broad white trailing band in flight. 

Personal Notes: Seen at Lake Tutira on the North Island. Maori name Papango. 

Grey Teal

Scientific Name: Anas gracilis

Population Estimate: 1.0 - 1.1M

Range / Habitat: Found year-round on inland wetlands in New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.

Field Notes: Slight, graceful dabbling duck. Male and female same coloration: light grey-brown with pale cheeks and neck. Bill blue-grey, eye red. In flight, speculum iridescent dark green with wide white triangle in front. Female Chestnut Teal in Australia has darker check and neck. Male breeding Chestnut Teal different coloration. Less common New Zealand endemic Brown Teal darker overall with white eye ring and no white triangle in front of speculum in flight.

Personal Notes: See at Lake Tutira outside Napier and later at the Miranda Shorebird Center near Auckland. Maori name Tete.

Paradise Shelduck

Scientific Name: Tadorna variegata

Population Estimate: 150 - 180K

Range / Habitat: Endemic to New Zealand where found year-round on inland waterways on both islands. 

Field Notes: Large, goose-like dabbling duck with chestnut tail and undertail. Male with glossy black head and finely barred black back. Female with brilliant white head and chestnut body. Rare Chestnut-breasted Shelduck has chestnut breast, black head, and white neck ring in both sexes.

Personal Notes: Seen at a park in Napier. Maori name Putangitangi.

Pacific Black Duck

Scientific Name: Anas superciliosa

Population Estimate: 180K - 1.2M

Range / Habitat: Found in marine coastal and inland wetland habitats in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the north and French Polynesia in the east. 

Field Notes: Long dabbling duck similar to female Mallard but darker body with pale head and conspicuous black eye stripe with white striping above and below. Sexes similar. Green speculum with black borders and thin white band on trailing edge only. 

Personal Notes: New Zealand name is Grey Duck. Frequently interbreed with Mallard in New Zealand. Maori name is Parera.

Australasian Shoveler

Scientific Name: Anas rhynchotis

Population Estimate: 47K - 210K

Range / Habitat: Found primarily in freshwater lakes in Australia and New Zealand. 

Field Notes: Dabbling duck with heavy spatulate bill. Breeding male as above. Female pale brown all over, streaked and spotted, grey bill. 

Personal Notes: Seen at Gisborne, New Zealand. Maori name is Kuruwhengi.

Green-winged Teal

MERGE WITH EURASIAN TEAL

Scientific Name: Anas carolinensis

Population Estimate: 6M-7M (for both Eurasian Teal and Green-winged Teal)

Range / Habitat: Smallish dabbling duck of shallow ponds with much vegetation. Summers in northern US, Canada and Alaska. Winters in western and southern US, Mexico and Caribbean Islands.

Field Notes: Green stripe at eye on rust head, grey spotted breast, ivory patch on rear. Similar to the Eurasian Teal (a recent split from the former, larger taxon of Common Teal), though Green-winged Teal has a white vertical shoulder bar (not horizontal bar).

Personal Notes:

Coscoroba Swan

Scientific Name: Coscoroba coscoroba

Population Estimate: 10-25K

Range / Habitat: Found on inland freshwater lakes in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Field Notes: Small swan with relatively short neck, though large for a waterbird. All white plumage except for black wing tips. Bright red bill.

Personal Notes: Seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom. With this bird we have seen all of the swan species!

Canada Goose

Scientific Name: Branta canadensis

Range / Habitat: Wet environments year-round in the middle latitudes of US. Summers up through Canada and Alaska, winters extending down to souther US and parts of Mexico. Introduced in parts of Europe and New Zealand.

Field Notes: Large, noisy waterfowl with long neck and high rump profile in water. Head, neck are black with white cheek patch. Back brown, belly and rump white. Brent Goose has shorter neck and white neck ring, not cheek patch.

Personal Notes: These birds are ubiquitous in Minnesota, so much so that we never photographed them until we were about to leave. We were startled to find them in New Zealand, where introduced and much more wary than in the States.