The Australian hard-tailed Duck (Oxyura australis) is a Blue-billed Duck, without subspecies.
Australian hardtail ducks often gather in large groups in the non-breeding season, and also mix with other ducks to move in groups, good at swimming and diving. Very afraid of people. Take off at the first sign of movement. Good at swimming and diving, often diving underwater stay time is not long, generally about 3-5 minutes. When swimming, the tail is often raised high. When taking off from the water, it often skimmed over the water for a considerable distance before it had to leave the water. The duck's swimming, diving and flying posture is more like that of other ducks. It feeds on plants, seeds, buds, stems, leaves and various fruits. They also eat insects, fish, frogs, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, etc. Can be raised in freshwater areas for a long time in captivity. Late afternoon and early morning are common feeding times.
The Australian hardtail is a seasonal nomadic bird. Young ducks are born in the outback marshes of New South Wales and molt in non-breeding areas in the Murray River system of South Australia and Victoria.
The breeding ground of the Australian hardtail duck is chosen in the quiet and dense vegetation. It nests in the marsh on the water's edge, in the scrub or in the grass, and builds a solid floating nest made of reeds. The nests are usually laid with dried cattails and are polygamous, and the breeding period is from May to July. Each clutch lays 6-10 eggs. Incubation period is 25 days.
Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2012 Red List of Threatened Species ver3.1 - Near Threatened (NT).
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