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Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata) Alternate name(s): "Woody", "Maned Goose" Aboriginal name(s): "barrgabarrga" [yuwaalaraay], "gunambaay" [gamilaraay], "warraaday" [gumbaynggirr]; "burbigul", "gambawir"/"gambirwir"/"gambabin" [bundjalung]; "piap-piap" [yartwatjali, tjapwurrung, djadjawurrung]; "maranganna", "billira", "boota" (WA); "erialta", "goonahea", "goonaroi", "koonallee", "gnaroo" Size: 45-60 cm; wing span: 80 cm (average) Body mass: 665-980 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Australian Wood Ducks are medium-sized ducks with dimorphic plumage, i.e. males and females are different. During the breeding season, male Australian Wood Ducks have a dark-brown head and neck, with crown feathers that can be erected. Their upperwing plumage is grey with black lining, the breast and belly are speckled brown/grey. When visible, the speculum is turquoise-green. In eclipse the colours of the head and neck become duller, and they develop faint grey facial stripes. The undertail coverts of males are always black. Female Australian Wood Ducks have a lighter-brown head with a dark-brown eye stripe and two lighter grey-brown stripes above and below the eyes. Their flanks are more conspicuously speckled than the males'. Female have white undertail coverts. The irises of both sexes are black. The legs and feet are dark-grey. The bills are short and small, with the males' bill being dark-grey, the females' lighter grey. In ventral flight, the dark head, underwing tips and tail feathers are characteristic of Australian Wood Ducks. Juveniles have less colour contrast on their heads compared to females. Australian Wood ducklings have conspicuous facial stripes.

Taxonomy, classification See Australian Wood Duck at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Australian (Maned) Wood Duck is available HERE . Australian Wood Ducks are endemic to Australia. They populate basically the eastern half of the Australian continent (with the exception of Cape York peninsula) and the western half of WA and also Tasmania. They avoid the far tropical north of the NT and WA and the major deserts of eastern WA, the western NT and western SA, including the Nullarbor. "Woodies" like open grassland, where they can feed, and are often found near water, such as freshwater lakes, but also man-made dams. During the breeding season they will have a preference for open woodland close to water. Where to look? How to find this species? Australian Wood Ducks can become quite docile and are often found most easily on ponds and lakes in urban parks. They are not strictly aquatic and can often be seen feeding on grass on land. Since they nest in hollows, they are also often found perched in trees.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Australian Wood Ducks can be found regularly and in large numbers on any kind of fresh water (lakes, dams, rivers) in inland NSW and the ACT. They are content with relatively small water surfaces, such as e.g. small farm dams. In August 2013 Australian Wood Ducks were found nesting in an old eucalypt tree right outside our living room window at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, NSW. Australian Wood Ducks are also regularly seen by us, and reported to us by contributors, from many different locations on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, in both NSW and QLD. Ducks in general are usually amongst the first species to have their young at the start of the breeding season and Australian Wood Ducks are no exception from the rule. After making a racket in the trees of the area in late winter (around July), their ducklings can be seen on water surfaces starting in August, typically, in the Narrabri area. Cold weather in August 2008 delayed this by several weeks. J. Greaves and C. Pears report seeing Australian Wood Ducks regularly in WA, e.g. in Albany, Quindalup and Perth. C. Pears also finds the species regularly in south-western WA.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Close-up lateral view of a pair of Australian Wood Ducks; male on the right (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulds Lagoon, Hobart, TAS, April 2021]

Lateral view of a pair of Australian Wood Ducks in an urban park (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, December 2013]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a pair of Australian Wood Ducks (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, August 2022]

Near-dorsal/dorsal view of a pair of Australian Wood Ducks (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, August 2023]

Group photo of several species of water birds - a pair of Australian Wood Ducks (far left), a family of Grey Teals (centre) and a pair of Australasian Grebes (front)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2007]

MALE

BREEDING

Near-frontal view of a male Australian Wood Duck in breeding plumage
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2010]

Near-lateral view of a male Australian Wood Duck in breeding plumage stretching a wing and thereby displaying the speculum (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, September 2022]

Near-lateral view of a male Australian Wood Duck in breeding plumage looking away from the observer
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, August 2023]

Close-up lateral portrait of a male Australian Wood Duck (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW, January 2014]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Wood Duck (photo courtesy of C. Pears]
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, July 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Wood Duck (photo courtesy of M. Eaton]
[Lamington NP, QLD, February 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a male Australian Wood Duck
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2010]

Lateral view of a male Australian Wood Duck
[Narrabri, NSW, February 2008]

Near-dorsal view of a male Australian Wood Duck; here the speculum is hidden from view
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a male Australian Wood Duck, with its iridescent turquoise speculum
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2008]

Different view of the iridescent speculum while the Australian Wood Duck is preening; seen from this angle, and in these light conditions, it looks green
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2008]

Lateral view of a male Australian Wood Duck on a dam; one can see clearly why the species is also called "Maned Duck"
[Near Narrabri, NSW, March 2006]

Male Australian Wood Duck in an urban park (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, December 2013]

Male Australian Wood Duck flapping its wings, thereby showing clearly the upperwing plumage, in particular the green iridescent speculum (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Carrara, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2015]

NON-BREEDING

Close-up near-frontal portrait of a male Australian Wood Duck in transitional plumage
[Newcastle, NSW, July 2025]

FEMALE

Close-up lateral portrait of a female Australian Wood Duck
[Newcastle, NSW, July 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a female Australian Wood Duck (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Jackadder Lake, Perth, WA, November 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a female Australian Wood Duck (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, July 2025]

Lateral view of a female Australian Wood Duck
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2008]

Lateral view of a preening female Australian Wood Duck
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2008]

Sex unknown

Lateral view of Australian Wood Ducks in flight
[Whittaker's Lagoon near Moree, NSW, June 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Close-up near-lateral view of a juvenile Australian Wood Duck (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Jackadder Lake, Perth, WA, November 2025]

Lateral view of two juvenile Australian Wood Ducks, with a third also wanting to be seen
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2013]

Family of Australian Wood Ducks with 8 juveniles (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, October 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a family of Australian Wood Ducks with a fair-sized clutch of already half-grown ducklings raised in the middle of winter
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a female Australian Wood Duck with a fair-sized clutch of already half-grown ducklings raised in the middle of winter
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a family of Australian Wood Ducks with 8 fledging age juveniles
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2006]

Near-frontal view of a family of Australian Wood Ducks with 8 ducklings working together as a zero-turn lawn mower (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, September 2022]

Close-up view of a snoozing female Australian Wood Duck with 3 ducklings (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]

A whole bunch of Australian Wood Duck ducklings (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Australian Wood Duck rookery with 20 ducklings (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Cottesloe, Perth, WA, September 2021]

Family of Australian Wood Ducks with 3 ducklings (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Family of Australian Wood Ducks with 2 ducklings (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanthorpe, QLD, February 2021]

"Careful now, boys and girls, he's seen us!" (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Wetlands, Moggill, QLD, February 2022]

Here dad demonstrates how to duck even on the surface of a pond
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2010]

Batch of Australian Wood Duck ducklings left alone in the middle of a dam while their parents were off for "morning smoko"
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2007]

These Australian Wood Duck ducklings were observed at Narrabri Lake (with their parents) in late March 2012, when the first autumnal cold change of the season hit the area and other aquatic birds had already moulted into their non-breeding plumages
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2012]

Female Australian Wood Duck with 7 ducklings (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Clutch of Australian Wood Duck ducklings in an urban park taking the sun in the middle of winter; neither parents nor ducklings showed any signs of concern regarding the curious photographer
[Wondai, QLD, June 2017]

These Australian Wood Duck ducklings were led to pasture by their parents in autumn
(photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Stanthorpe, QLD, March 2015]

Four Australian Wood Duck ducklings feeding next to each other (photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Stanthorpe, QLD, March 2015]

Group photo of several species of water birds - a pair of Australian Wood Ducks (centre), Grey Teals (left and right) and Australasian Grebes (the two smaller birds)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2007]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Oct

Eggs: 8 - 14

Incubation period: 28 days

Fledging age: (see text)

The breeding season of Australian Wood Ducks depends on both geographic latitude and weather conditions. Given the right conditions, they can in principle breed any time of the year. Listed in the table above is the main breeding season in the southern half of Australia. In the tropical North they breed primarily in the period January - March. In semi-arid regions Australian Wood Ducks can breed any time after good rainfall.

Shortly after hatching the chicks climb out of the nesting hollow, jump down to the ground (without being able to fly!) and are led by their parents to the safety of the nearest suitable water surface (see photos below).

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female (& male?)

Dependent care: Female & male

We have observed a pair of Australian Wood Ducks over an extended period of time while nesting. During that period, the female took all the incubating duties on herself. The superb insulation of the eggs by their feather lining allows the female to take regular breaks. When returning to the nest, she is always accompanied by the male, who "drops her off" at the nest. She flies into the tree with the nest hollow, while he flies a lap around the tree, probably to distract potential predators, and then disappears from view.

Eucalypt tree in which a pair of Australian Wood Ducks were found nesting; note that the leaf litter under the tree will soften the impact of chicks jumping down from the lip of the nesting hollow, about 4 m above ground
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Relative location of the eucalypt with respect to the closest water surface, a small farm dam
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree hollow

Material: Down feather lining

Height above ground: 3 - 10(?) m

View of the entrance to the nesting hollow in the tree trunk; the adults always flew in and entered the hollow from the convenient saddle on the right
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

This view of the nest gives an impression of the depth of the hollow (about 0.8-1.0 m); the nest is well lined with down; the chicks will need to scale the walls to get out
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

R. Nicolai reports Australian Wood Ducks nesting in Baulkham Hills, a western suburb of Sydney, NSW, in June 2014. The nesting hollows inspected and then used by the Australian Wood Ducks had previously been used (for almost two decades) by Rainbow Lorikeets, before Sulphur-crested Cockatoos started using them (for about 5 years). This may suggest that the hollow's diameter increased in size over the years, allowing increasingly larger and heavier birds access.

Pair of Australian Wood Ducks inspecting tree hollows in a suburban environment; the male selected the top hollow for nesting (photo courtesy of R. Nicolai)
[Baulkham Hills, NSW, June 2014]

Two pairs of Australian Wood Ducks, with their clutches of a few weeks old ducklings, were observed by us on a farm dam in inland NSW in July 2014. The chicks must have hatched in June, the eggs laid in May, and the birds thus have bred right through the inland winter. At the time, the local nighttime minimum temperatures went down to only 0 or -1 C, while elsewhere in the region, just 15-35 km distant, where cold air could settle, the nighttime minimum temperatures were -3 to -5 C (and no breeding activity was observed in those areas). This may suggest that Australian Wood Ducks have a sense for localized weather patterns and that they can breed after only little to moderate recent rainfall.

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 58 x 42 mm

Colour: Creamy

Shape: Tapered oval

Close-up view of the 9 eggs in the nest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Family/flock

Australian Wood Duck chicks have various ways of protecting themselves. We have seen a bunch of them in the middle of a dam, avoiding getting close to the rim as long as their parents were absent. But also with the parents around, getting back onto water is the first choice, even if the water is closer to a photographer than the paddock overgrown with tall grass in which they are feeding.

Lateral view of a family of Australian Wood Ducks rushing into a farm dam for protection
[Narrabri, NSW, December 2011]

Dad Australian Wood Duck demonstrating how to duck on water; the ducklings and mum think "yeah, smartie pants"...
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2010]

Another protective measure was observed when we encountered a whole family on the bank of a dam. While everybody else ducked for cover in the water, mum splashed across the water surface with her "broken wing" act, veering off onto land, away from the rest of the family. The chicks that had ducked under water, had spread below the surface and re-appeared separate from each other. Only when the danger had passed, dad re-grouped them in the middle of the water surface.

When too far from the water's edge, a family of Woodies made the meaning of the phrase "ducking for cover" clear. Mum showed how to do it and all ducklings went flat onto the ground. A different example is shown in the photo below.

Ducking Duck
[Narrabri, NSW, August 2008]

When crossing a road with their offspring, Woodies are just about as smart as dogs. They watch for traffic, give a sign to the chicks and then dash across the tarmac and into cover again.

Female Australian Wood Duck with her chicks caught out in the open; there was no other way but to remain stock-still until the danger passed (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Near Armatree, NSW, July 2016]

Pair of Australian Wood Ducks looking for a suitable nesting hollow
[Near Nowendoc, NSW, July 2013]

Pair of Australian Wood Ducks leading their 9 chicks to a farm dam for protection; the chicks are between mom and dad, well hidden in tall grass
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]

Immature Australian Wood Ducks in an urban park literally having a bit of a "chin wag" (photo courtesy of C. Lawrence)
[Botanical Gardens, Canberra, ACT, June 2015]

Food, Diet

Like all other geese, ducks and swans, Australian Wood Ducks are vegetarian. They feed on plants, often on land, but also aquatic plant species.

Male Australian Wood Duck harvesting grass seeds (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Nerang, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2020]

Closer look at the saw-shaped teeth of a male Australian Wood Duck (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Nerang, Gold Coast, QLD, November 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a female Australian Wood Duck that was disturbed while nibbling on an aquatic plant
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2012]

Female Australian Wood Duck feeding on what looks like moss by the side of a lake
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, June 2016]

Australian Wood Duck rookery on a feeding expedition (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Jackadder Lake, Perth, WA, November 2025]

Australian Wood Duck chicks being led to pasture by their parents, in this case on a levee leading to a dam that can provide protection in case of need
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

wooduck_20210516.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
wooduck_20200301.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (in-flight)	© MD
wooduck_20231115.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (in-flight)	© MD
wooduck_20260626_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Male proposing nest site to female	© MD
wooduck_20230213.mp3	(NW NSW)	Arrival + various (flock)	© MD
wooduck_20210917.m4a	(NW NSW)	Various	© MD
wooduck_20210917_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	? (female)	© MD

We have also recorded the characteristic, heavy wing beat of an Australian Wood Duck.

wooduck_20201110.m4a	(NW NSW)	Small flock landing	© MD
wooduck_20260626.m4a	(NW NSW)	Pair departure	© MD

More Australian (Maned) Wood Duck sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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