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Australian Wood Duck


Australian Wood Duck
Photo Information
Copyright: Colin McQueen (McQueenca) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 131 W: 11 N: 226] (1387)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2013-02-11
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 7D, Canon EF 300 1:2.8 L IS II USM
Exposure: f/14.0, 1/320 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2013-02-14 15:33
Viewed: 3047
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Note
This photo was taken at the Redcliffe Botanical Gardens. This Wood Duck,it's mate and seven youngsters have taken up residence and safety of the gardens. The conditions were sunny. The photo was cropped.

Australian Wood Duck
Chenonetta jubata
Anatidae

The Australian Wood Duck has adapted to modified environments remarkably well. You are just as Australian Wood Ducks loafing at the edge of a farm dam or ornamental pond as beside a swamp, or swimming on a reservoir as on a lake, or foraging on a golf course or in green pasture as in a water meadow or grassland. They even sometimes build their nests in chimneys instead of tree hollows. This level of adaptability has allowed the species to expand its range greatly since Europeans colonised Australia.

Identification
Description

The Australian Wood Duck is a medium-sized 'goose-like' duck with a dark brown head and a pale grey body with two black stripes along the back. Males have the darker head and a small dark mane, with a speckled brown-grey breast and a black lower belly and undertail. The females have a paler head with two white stripes, above and below the eye, a speckled breast and flanks, with a white lower belly and undertail. In flight, the wings are pale grey above, contrasting with black wingtips, and have a noticeable white bar on the underside (the secondaries). They walk easily on land and may be seen perching on logs and in trees. They will only take to open water when disturbed. This species is also known as the Maned Duck or the Maned Goose.

Similar Species

The Australian Wood Duck can be distinguished from pygmy geese,Nettapus spp, which are smaller, have bold white face markings and are usually seen on water. Whistling ducks, Dendrocygna spp, have longer legs and necks, larger more duck-like bills and tend to walk more upright. When flying, the Australian Wood Duck is the only duck with white secondary feathers and dark wingtips.

Location
Distribution

The Australian Wood Duck is widespread in Australia, including Tasmania.

Habitat

The Australian Wood Duck is found in grasslands, open woodlands, wetlands, flooded pastures and along the coast in inlets and bays. It is also common on farmland with dams, as well as around rice fields, sewage ponds and in urban parks. It will often be found around deeper lakes that may be unsuitable for other waterbirds' foraging, as it prefers to forage on land.

Behaviour
Feeding

The Australian Wood Duck eats grasses, clover and other herbs, and occasionally, insects. It is rarely seen on open water, preferring to forage by dabbling in shallow water, or in grasslands and crops.

Breeding

The Australian Wood Duck forms monogamous breeding pairs that stay together year round. It nests in tree holes, above or near water, often re-using the same site. Both parents feed young and young birds remain with them up to a month after fledging.

Source www.birdlife.org.au
ramthakur, maaciejka, aruntp, samiran88, CeltickRanger has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Colin, my neighbour today.
What a beautiful duck species. You nicely captured it from fronto-lateral POV. Details, colors and composition very nice.
Thanks for sharing this beauty. Well done.
Ahmet

你好
真可愛的鴨子
長的好美麗啊
照的清晰 羽毛也很漂亮
你的技術真是沒話說得 太好
謝謝分享
STONE

A very lively close-up portrait of the bird, Colin.
Perfect point of view to showcase the features and colours of this elegant bird.
Thanks and regards.
Ram

Hello Colin,
Nice capture,lovely PoV and excellent sharp details of plumage.
TFS and my regards,
Joy

Hi Colin,
nice bird. A lot of details. Nice natural colours. Very good presentation and composition.
Thanks for sharing,
Maciek

  • Great 
  • aruntp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 590 W: 1 N: 357] (5379)
  • [2013-02-14 22:37]

I am seeing this bird for the first time. interesting colors on feathers. excellent closeup. tfs.

Hello Colin
Interesting bird and nice photo with wonderful colors and good sharpness
Regards,
Christodoulos

Hello Colin,
Everything was ready,you have just given your final touch.You have captured it nicely with well sharpness and light.The shadow of the Duck has created a depth in this picture.Nice POV and natural colour.
Thanks Colin for sharing,
Kind regards,
Srikumar

  • Great 
  • KOMSIS Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 820 W: 0 N: 2419] (10674)
  • [2013-02-15 2:51]

Hi Colin,
I have not seen before ..
Beautiful natural colours and a nice pose with eye contact.
Best wishes,
Seyfi

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2013-02-15 3:14]

Hello Colin,
Excellent sharp detailed photo of this Maned Wood Duck. Taken from the best possible POV. Nice eye contact. Beautiful natural colours and a very good DOF.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Colin,
it is pleasure to see this nice picture of Australian Wood Duck
the picture with prefect clarity, colour and composition.
best wishes,
samiran

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6595 W: 89 N: 15659] (65489)
  • [2013-02-15 4:43]

Hi Colin.The top of perfection,the best light to take the best plumage details and colors of this nice specie,i like it!Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

hello Colin
nice potret of this ducky with good details and lovely naturel colours
thanks greeting lou

Hello Colin

Excellent close-up photo of the Australian Wood Duck,
with fine POV & DOF, beautiful soft & warm light,
excellent focus, sharpness, and details, beautiful catch-light, TFS

Asbed

Hello Colin
Excellent portrait, good background, very good detail, nice pose with good eye contact.
Good to see some southern ducks
regards yiannis

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3089 W: 230 N: 6774] (23770)
  • [2013-02-15 13:23]

Interesting photo, Colin!
I have never seen an Australian wood duck,
and it looks so different from the one I saw (and posted) recently.
The color palette is subtle, but the markings are beautiful.
Sharp image taken in low POV.
TFS. : )
ManYee

Ciao Colin, great pature of lovely duckin nice pose, fine details, excellent sharpness, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2791 W: 0 N: 6696] (25839)
  • [2013-02-16 18:50]

Hello Colin
the view is so pretty with the bird in splendid details. The pattern on the breast is so wonderful.
Exciting presentation.
I like the slight turn of the head that give a lovely style.

Regards
Foozi

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