Maned Duck

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The Maned Duck (45–51 cm), also known as the Australian Wood Duck, is a medium-sized species that resembles a small goose due to its short bill and upright stance. It exhibits strong sexual dimorphism; the male features a chocolate-brown head with a distinctive dark mane on the nape, a heavily mottled breast, and a pale grey body with finely barred flanks. The female is paler, characterized by two prominent white facial stripes—one above and one below the eye—and mottled underparts. In flight, both sexes are easily identified by a striking white patch on the trailing edge of the inner wing (the secondaries) contrasted against dark wingtips. Juveniles resemble females but are lighter and more streaked. Its most frequent call is a loud, nasal, drawn-out "gnow." The female’s version is a long, rising, croaky moan, while the male’s call is typically smoother, shorter, and higher-pitched. Flocks produce a busy, staccato chattering while grazing or in flight. Highly terrestrial and gregarious, this duck spends more time grazing on grasses, clover, and seeds in pastures than swimming or dabbling in shallow margins. It is commonly found in pairs or large flocks near permanent water, farm dams, urban parks, and flooded pastures throughout most of Australia, though it is less common in the far north and arid interior. They nest in tree hollows, from which newly hatched ducklings leap from great heights to follow their parents to water. While similar to pygmy-geese, the latter are much smaller and rarely leave the water. Whistling-ducks have much longer necks and legs, presenting a taller posture. In flight, the broad white secondary feathers distinguish the Maned Duck from all other Australian ducks.

Description · BirdUp · CC BY-SA 4.0