Pacific Black Duck

The Pacific Black Duck is the archetypal Australian dabbling duck, found on virtually every kind of wetland across the continent. It is a richly mottled dark brown duck overall, with each feather edged paler to create a scaled appearance, a pale cream-buff face crossed by two bold blackish stripes through and below the eye, and an iridescent green-and-black speculum bordered with white, visible as a flash on the folded wing or in flight.

Sexes look alike, unusual among ducks, and the species lacks the vivid seasonal plumage changes seen in many other waterfowl. It is closely related to the Mallard, with which it can hybridise where the introduced Mallard occurs, sometimes producing birds of intermediate appearance and creating conservation concern about genetic swamping of the native species.

As Australia's most familiar duck, the Pacific Black Duck is a common sight on everything from remote outback waterholes to suburban ponds and city parks.

Key field marks

• Overall dark brown, scaly-mottled plumage on both sexes
• Pale cream-buff face with two bold dark stripes through and below the eye
• Iridescent green speculum bordered with white and black
• Dark bill, sometimes with a bluish tinge at the base in males

Similar species

The Australian Wood Duck female is paler and streakier with a less bold facial pattern and a shorter bill, and behaves more like a grazing goose. The introduced Mallard, where present, has a much more colourful male plumage (or, in hybrids, patchy colouring and a curled tail feather); female Mallards are paler and buffier than Pacific Black Ducks and lack the bold double facial stripe. Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal are smaller with plainer faces and lack the strong dark eye-stripes.

Habitat

This highly adaptable species uses almost any wetland habitat, including rivers, lakes, swamps, estuaries, coastal lagoons, farm dams, and urban ponds, with or without dense vegetation.

Range

It is found throughout Australia, including arid interior waterholes when filled by rain, as well as New Zealand and many Pacific islands.

Migration

Pacific Black Ducks are largely sedentary where water is permanent but are highly nomadic in arid and semi-arid regions, moving widely and rapidly to exploit temporary wetlands after rain.

Behavior

It is a dabbling duck, feeding at or near the water's surface and up-ending to reach submerged vegetation, and is often seen in pairs or small to large flocks depending on season and food availability.

Voice

The female gives the familiar loud, descending quack typical of dabbling ducks, while the male's call is quieter and softer.

Feeding

It feeds by dabbling, up-ending, and occasionally diving for aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates such as insects, molluscs, and crustaceans, and also grazes on land at times.

Nesting and breeding

Nests are built on the ground among dense waterside vegetation, in tree hollows, or in old stick nests of other birds, often well concealed; the female incubates and cares for the precocial ducklings, which can swim and feed themselves soon after hatching.