(Self-published). Send an Email . After that, mallards rapidly spread throughout the country. They do not form large flocks. Send yourself a copy? Identification. They are a medium-to-large dabbling duck that is most recognisable by the male's glossy green head and white collar around the neck. The white Muscovy produces a white flesh, preferred by the trade, and accounts for about 90% of the colour type used for commercial production. Choosing and keeping ducks and geese. Steele Roberts Ltd., Wellington. Pūkeko The pūkeko is probably one of the most recognised native birds in New Zealand with its distinctive colourings and habit of feeding on the ground. Water fowl is the common name for the Anatidae, the family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. Birds with grey and brown colouring may also be present. Juvenile like female, but underparts brownish grey and bill dark. MANURAU specialises in a range of quality game birds such as Quail and Quail eggs, Duck, Goose, Squab, Silkie Bantam and Guinea Fowl. Because of it’s specialised habits, it is unlikely to ever be very common, but birds have moved into wetlands designed for them by Fish & Game NZ. Weldon Publishing, Sydney. The paradise shelduck is New Zealand’s only shelduck, a worldwide group of large, often semi-terrestrial waterfowl that have goose-like features. There may be ten or more of the off-white eggs per clutch, and they have an incubation period of 35 days. No population estimates are available. Your email address Must be a valid email address! They are very vocal birds, with males giving a characteristic 'zonk zonk', while females make a more shrill 'zeek zeek' while flying or as a warning to intruders. The bill is either pink-and-blackish, or entirely pink, and the base is surrounded by bright red caruncles. Sibley, D.A. The female is a mottled brown with a brown bill. Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos Region: Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and America Female: Mottled brown and black eye-line. Then, in the 1930s and 40s, eggs from San Francisco came in wicker baskets onboard flying boats. New Zealand Birds' Bird gallery links one to in-depth descriptions of almost all of New Zealand's endemic, native, introduced and extinct birds. Scott & Nix, Inc., New York. Marqusee, M.; Bewick, T. 1976. Muscovy ducks are not known to have any negative ecological or biological impacts. Ducks for sale in New Zealand. They are not protected. New Zealand status: Introduced, not established, Conservation status: Introduced, not established, Other names: Cairo duck, Guinea duck, Barbary duck, Indian duck, Geographical variation: Domestic stock is highly variable in appearance, though the ancestral population is monomorphic, Muscovy duck. Share on Facebook. The body carriage is low and the feet are orange and sharp-clawed. Send an Email . Both sexes have orange feet and a purple-blue speculum with both sides outlined in white. The grey duck's colouring is darker overall, and the head stripes more pronounced than the female mallard. They are the second-most commonly kept species of duck in New Zealand (after mallards). Males and females are alike in appearance, and similar to plumage of the female mallard. Your name: Please enter a name! Keep out of sight (under a camo net or camouflaged next to a fence line or bushes) and keep close to your decoys. (ed.) In areas where there are still large natural wetlands the grey duck continues to hold it’s own. Resist the temptation to stand up and look as you approach. In fact, special paradise duck hunting seasons are necessary to stop large mobs damaging farm paddocks with their grazing.