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Australian Wildlife

  Blue-billed Duck (Oxyura australis)





Blue-billed Duck | Oxyura australis photo
Blue-billed Duck (Oxyura australis) taken at Lake Monger, Western Australia.

Image by Valorix - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







BLUE-BILLED DUCK FACTS

Description
The male Blue-billed Duck has a bright pale blue bill and dark head and neck. The rest of the body is chestnut brown. The tail is dark with stiff spiny feathers, and is held upright when the bird is alarmed or is courting. The female has a brown bill with darker plumage than the male.

Other Names
Blue Bill, Stiff Tail, Spinetail, Little Musk Duck.

Size
35cm - 44cm

Habitat
The Blue-billed Duck is seldom seen on land. It is found in large freshwater dams and lakes

Food
aquatic insects and their larvae. Also eats plant seeds, buds, leaves.

Breeding
Blue-billed Ducks breed in densely vegetated situations. Four to six eggs are laid in a nest is made of dead bullrush leaves.

Range
The Blue-billed Duck is found only in Australia in the temperate wetlands of the south-east and south-west.

distribution map showing range of Oxyura australis in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.



Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Anseriformes
Family:Anatidae
Genus:Oxyura
Species:australis
Common Name:Blue-billed Duck