Blue Duck

Blue Duck
Blue Duck at the WWT Arundel, UK
Conservation status
Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Hymenolaimus Gray, 1843 Species: H. malacorhynchus
Binomial name
Hymenolaimus malacorhynchus (Gmelin, 1789)
Subspecies
H. m. malacorhynchus South Island Blue Duck H. m. hymenolaimus North Island Blue Duck

Blue Ducks preening

The Blue Duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchus) is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is the only member of the genus Hymenolaimus, placed in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae^{[citation needed]} after previously being considered part of the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage. The Māori name is whio, which is an onomatopoetic rendition of the males' call.

This 54 cm long species is an endemic resident breeder in New Zealand, nesting in hollow logs, small caves and other sheltered spots. It is a rare duck, holding territories on fast flowing mountain rivers.

It is a powerful swimmer even in white water, but is reluctant to fly. It is difficult to find, but not particularly wary when located.

Whio at Staglands in New Zealand

The blue duck is a dark slate-grey with a chestnut-flecked breast and a paler bill and eye. The pinkish-white bill has fleshy flaps of skin hanging from the sides of its tip. The male's call is an aspirated whistle, and the female's is a rattling growl.

This is a very localised species now threatened by predation from introduced mammals, competition for its invertebrate food with introduced trout, and damming of mountain rivers for hydroelectric schemes. The New Zealand Department of Conservation is presently working on recovery programmes in habitats such as the Oparara River area of the West Coast^[1].

Footnotes

1. ^ Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai: Saving whio on the Oparara

References

• BirdLife International (2006). Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map, a brief justification of why this species is endangered, and the criteria used

• Madge, Steve & Burn, Hilary (1987): Wildfowl : an identification guide to the ducks, geese and swans of the world. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7470-2201-1

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Blue Duck

• ARKive: Images and movies of the Blue Duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos)

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