Radjah shelduck
| Radjah shelduck | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Tadorninae |
| Genus: | Tadorna |
| Species: | T. radjah |
| Binomial name | |
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Tadorna radjah Lesson, 1828 |
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| Subspecies | |
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T. r. radjah (Lesson, 1828) |
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T. r. radjah (Lesson, 1828)
T. r. rufitergum (Hartert, 1905)
The radjah shelduck (Tadorna radjah), is a species of shelduck found mostly in New Guinea and Australia, and also on some of the Moluccas. It is known alternatively as the raja shelduck, black-backed shelduck, or in Australia as the Burdekin duck.
Placed in the genus Tadorna, it differs markedly in external morphology, and mtDNA sequence data suggests its status should be reinvestigated. The genus name Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and means "pied waterfowl", essentially the same as the English "shelduck".
Both the male and female of the species are mostly white, with dark wing-tips and a distinctive "collar" of dark feathers. Seen from above in flight the birds have green bands on the tops of their wings. The female has a harsh rattle and the male has a breathy, sore-throat whistle.
The radjah shelduck inhabits the mangrove forests and coastline of New Guinea and Australia, and some of the Moluccas. In Australia, its primary range is coastal tropical northern Australia, from central Queensland through northern Northern Territory (including Kakadu National Park) to the Kimberley in Western Australia. The radjah shelduck is listed as a protected bird in all states of Australia and penalties exist for harming or disturbing them.
The species prefers the brackish waters of mangrove flats and paperbark tree swamps, but will visit freshwater swamps, lagoons, and billabongs further inland during the wet season.
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Wikipedia