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Australian (Maned) Wood DuckAlternate 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) Weight: 665-980 g |
Description
Classification
Distribution
Sightings
Photos
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
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 Click here for a physical description
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
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Click here for sighting information
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Photos |
Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here 
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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BREEDING |
Near-frontal view of a male Australian (Maned) Wood Duck in
breeding plumage
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2010]
Near-lateral view of a male Australian (Maned) 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 (Maned) 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 (Maned) Wood Duck
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Centennial Park, Sydney, NSW, January 2014]
Close-up lateral view of a male Australian (Maned) Wood Duck
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton]
[Lamington NP,
QLD, February 2018]
Lateral view of a male Australian (Maned) Wood Duck
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2010]
Here a slightly different posture and different light conditions
[Narrabri, NSW, February 2008]
Dorsal view of a male Australian (Maned) Wood Duck; here the
speculum is hidden from view
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2010]
Here a clear view of an Australian (Maned) Wood Duck's
iridescent
speculum
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2008]
Different view of the
iridescent
speculum
while the Australian (Maned) Wood Duck is preening
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2008]
Male Australian (Maned) Wood Duck on a dam; one can see clearly why they
are called "maned"
[Near Narrabri, NSW, March 2006]
Male Australian (Maned) Wood Duck in an urban park (photo courtesy of
A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, December 2013]
Male Australian (Maned) 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]
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FEMALE |
Lateral view of a female Australian (Maned) Wood Duck
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2008]
Female Australian (Maned) Wood Duck preening
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2008]
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PAIR |
Close-up lateral view of a pair of Australian (Maned) Wood Ducks;
male on the right
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulds Lagoon, Hobart, TAS, April 2021]
Lateral view of a pair of Australian (Maned) 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 (Maned) Wood Ducks
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, August 2022]
Near-dorsal/dorsal view of a pair of Australian (Maned) 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]
Sex unknown |
Near-lateral view of Australian (Maned) Wood Ducks in flight
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, August 2017]
Lateral view of Australian (Maned) Wood Ducks in flight
[Whittaker's Lagoon near Moree, NSW, June 2012]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a juvenile Australian (Maned) Wood Duck
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2013]
Family of Australian (Maned) Wood Ducks with 8 juveniles
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, October 2022]
Near-dorsal view of a family of Australian (Maned) Wood Ducks with
8 fledging age juveniles
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2006]
Near-frontal view of a family of Australian (Maned) 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 (Maned) Wood Duck
with 3 ducklings
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
A whole bunch of Australian (Maned) Wood Duck ducklings
(photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
Australian (Maned) Wood Duck rookery with 20 ducklings
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Cottesloe, Perth, WA, September 2021]
Lateral view of an Australian (Maned) Wood Duck duckling
[Barwon River, Walgett, NSW, March 2022]
Family of Australian (Maned) Wood Ducks with 3 ducklings
(photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
Family of Australian (Maned) 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 (Maned) 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]
Batch 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 (Maned) Wood Duck ducklings were led to
pasture
by their parents in autumn
(photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Stanthorpe, QLD, March 2015]
Four Australian (Maned) 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 (Maned) Wood Ducks (centre), Grey Teals (left and right)
and Australasian
Grebes (the two smaller birds)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2007]
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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]
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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.
Two pairs of parent Australian Wood Ducks with their clutches
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2014]
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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]
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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 dams, 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.
Family of Australian Wood Ducks rushing into a farm
dam for protection
[Narrabri, NSW, December 2011]
Another protective measure was observed when we encountered a whole family on the bank of a dams. 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]
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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]
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 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]
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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_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 |
More Australian (Maned) Wood Duck sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.