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Freckled Duck (Stictonetta naevosa) Alternate name(s): "Monkey Duck", "Speckled Duck", "Diamantina Duck", "Oatmeal Duck", "Canvasback" Aboriginal name(s): "paRimakurrk" [tjapwurrung]; "koortgang" Size: 52-59 cm (male), 48-54 cm (female); wing span: 77-82 cm Body mass: 0.75-1.13 kg Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 1.0

Australia: Family Group 2 Family Group 2 Table Magpie Goose Cape Barren Goose Black Swan Plumed Whistling-Duck Wandering Whistling-Duck Spotted Whistling-Duck Blue-billed Duck Musk Duck Hardhead Australian Wood Duck Pink-eared Duck Grey Teal Chestnut Teal Garganey Australian Shelduck Radjah Shelduck Freckled Duck Pacific Black Duck Green Pygmy-Goose Cotton Pygmy-Goose Australasian Shoveler Australasian Grebe Hoary-headed Grebe Great Crested Grebe Emperor Penguin King Penguin Adelie Penguin Chinstrap Penguin Gentoo Penguin Royal Penguin Macaroni Penguin Rockhopper Penguin Little Penguin Magellanic Penguin Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Freckled Ducks are medium-sized ducks with mottled brown-grey plumage. The only significant deviation from this homogeneous pattern is the males' head, which in the breeding season is darker than the rest of the plumage. Females are a bit paler overall. At a distance, in both sexes, one often cannot see the fine substructure of the freckled pattern, making Freckled Ducks look plain grey-brown. The bill is grey; only during the breeding season the base of the males' bill is red. The legs and feet of both sexes are dark-grey.

Taxonomy, classification See Freckled 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 Freckled Duck is available HERE . Freckled Ducks are endemic to Australia. They are found basically in the south-eastern quarter of the continent, including all of VIC and NSW, the eastern half of SA, the southern-most part of QLD and the Channel Country of the Diamantina (south-western inland QLD), up to about the tropic of Capricorn. In addition, they are also found in a narrow strip from about Perth, WA, to the Eucla, WA, but not on the far south-western tip of WA. Elsewhere on the continent there are only single, rare sightings. Freckled Ducks breed in densely vegetated permanent fresh water swamps. Outside the breeding season they spread to more open water (both fresh and saline), e.g. permanent open lakes. They are known to spend much of the day resting on fallen tree trunks.

Sightings Click here for sighting information C. Hayne reports spotting at least 8 Freckled Ducks in a larger flock of Pink-eared Ducks on a farm property about 20 km North-West of Moree, NSW, in March 2013. C. Hayne reports seeing more Freckled Ducks (at least 40) in the Gwydir Wetlands during the winter of 2013. B. Hensen reports spotting Freckled Ducks at Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, in June 2013. Freckled Ducks were seen by us at McPherson's Road Swamp, Tuggerah, NSW, in July 2013. A. Morris's help with these observations is gratefully acknowledged. Four Freckled Ducks were spotted by us at Old Quipolly Dam near Quirindi, NSW, in December 2013. In July 2014 about 30 Freckled Ducks were spotted by us at Narrabri Lake, Narrabri, NSW, where they were seen resting on open water, together with other duck species. J. Greaves reports spotting at least 300 Freckled Ducks at Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, in January 2015. In July/August 2023, C. Pears found up to about 20 Freckled Ducks at the same location. M. Windeyer reports spotting about 10 Freckled Ducks at Gum Swamp, Forbes, NSW, in July 2017. M. Eaton reports finding Freckled Ducks in Gatton, QLD, in July 2018. In June 2019 a flock of ca. 30 Frecked Ducks was found by us at New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
During the breeding season the male Freckled Duck, left, can be distinguished from the female by the red base of its bill. In eclipse the male's head remains a bit darker than the female's, but the bill turns dark-grey.

Pair(?) of Freckled Ducks; non-breeding male at the front, the slightly paler female behind
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gatton, QLD, July 2018]

Two Freckled Ducks; the bird on the right is probably a non-breeding male, the slightly paler one on the left a female
(photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Near Moree, NSW, March 2013]

MALE

BREEDING

Close-up frontal view of a male Freckled Duck in breeding plumage; note the characteristic red base of the bill
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Lateral view of a male Freckled Duck in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, July 2023]

NON-BREEDING

Close-up near-frontal view of a non-breeding male(?) Freckled Duck; note the characteristic "teeth" on the underside of the bill
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, June 2013]

Close-up lateral view of a non-breeding male(?) Freckled Duck (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, June 2013]

Near-dorsal view of a non-breeding male(?) Freckled Duck (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gatton, QLD, July 2018]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female Freckled Duck; note the absence of red on the base of the bill - this bird was seen together with a male in breeding colours (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, August 2023]

Dorsal view of a female Freckled Duck (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Sex unknown

Freckled Ducks resting on an island in a marsh together with other ducks
[McPherson's Road Swamp, Tuggerah, NSW, July 2013]

Freckled Ducks at the same location as shown above, but in different light conditions
[McPherson's Road Swamp, Tuggerah, NSW, July 2013]

Freckled Ducks resting together with a pair of Grey Teals (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Part of a flock of about 300 Freckled Ducks on the edge of bullrushes (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, January 2015]

Freckled Ducks floating
[McPherson's Road Swamp, Tuggerah, NSW, July 2013]

Freckled Duck, front left, with Australasian Shovelers (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands, near Moree, NSW, June 2013]

Mixed flock of various types of ducks, including Freckled Ducks, touching down on a lake
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, July 2014]

Mixed flock of various types of ducks, including Freckled Ducks, on a lake
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, July 2014]

Mixed flock of various types of ducks, including about 30 Freckled Ducks, on a lake
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, July 2014]

Colony of various ducks, including Freckled Ducks, and other aquatic birds resting together
[McPherson's Road Swamp, Tuggerah, NSW, July 2013]

Freckled Ducks feeding with their tails up; note the characteristic light-grey appearance
[Old Quipolly Dam, Quirindi, NSW, December 2013]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Vagrant/dispersive

Elementary unit: Small flock

Ducks in general are sociable birds. They not only form flocks with others of their own species, but also seek "safety in numbers" by associating with other bird species, often other ducks. Below a Freckled Duck is shown in a loose group with five other duck species.

Six different duck species in one loose group: Freckled Duck (centre back), Pacific Black Duck, Grey Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Hardhead and Australasian Shoveler
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, June 2015]

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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