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366:) has a similarly shaped tail, but the main colour of its males in breeding plumage is a much richer chestnut brown. Females and males in nonbreeding plumage are very similar, however, and if one is not intimately familiar with the slight differences in behaviour, they cannot be told apart from female musk ducks at a distance. Male musk ducks in the breeding season are usually unmistakable due to the large bill lobe.
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they probably leave the nest. Young stay close to the mother for several months at least, sometimes riding on her back to begin with. They can peck at food items on the surface and dive a little while still quite small, but the mother continues to provide the bulk of their food until they are almost full-grown.
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Females select a secluded location for nesting, usually in tall reeds well away from land and protected by deep water, or under the cover of overhanging shrubbery, but sometimes in a range of innovative places, such as on a stump, in a hollow log, or even under an upturned boat. The nest is a simple
442:
This species prefers deep, still lakes and wetlands with areas of both open water and reed beds. They seldom emerge from the water and are awkward on dry land. They rarely fly: take off is made with difficulty, and landing is a clumsy, low-angled affair with no attempt to lower the feet. However, at
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Clutch size is unknown: as many as 10 eggs have been counted in a nest, but it seems likely that this is the result of dump nesting: three or four eggs are considered more likely. In most cases, only one duckling survives, sometimes two. They are able to swim and dive within a few days, after which
483:
The musk duck breeding season varies with rainfall and water levels, but is typically between July and
January, with the greatest number of clutches laid in September or October, the austral spring. Despite a number of more general studies, little is known about musk duck breeding. During breeding
446:
In the water, musk ducks display an effortless agility, twisting and turning on the surface with both feet and tail. In general, musk ducks remain in the water all day long, alternately loafing and feeding energetically, though they sometimes emerge to sit on a log or on dry land for a while. They
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calls; then a loud whistle and a deep grunt. This sequence can be started at any time of day or night, with or without an associated visual display, and repeated every 4 or 5 seconds for as long as half an hour at a time. Although male musk ducks have a large leathery lobe below the bill and this
474:
When not breeding, adults are generally solitary. Adult males hold and defend territories, excluding other males and quite often females, too. Younger birds – juveniles and unmated adults – form flocks on larger bodies of water at some times of year. It is not known at what age they reach sexual
516:
are laid, plenty of down. She seems to be unable to carry nest material and must rely on whatever is within reach. With the nest complete, she pulls reeds down from overhead to make a canopy, hiding it from view. When leaving the nest to feed, she slips quietly into the water and submerges, not
450:
Musk ducks are very much at home below the surface, slipping under head-first with barely a ripple, and staying submerged for as long as a minute at a time, often resurfacing only for a few moments before diving again. They dive to escape predators or unwanted company, and to search for food,
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is inconspicuous and does not differ between the sexes. This species weighs an average of 2,398 g (5.287 lb) in males and 1,551 g (3.419 lb) in females, with the smallest females weighing only 993 g (2.189 lb) and the largest males weighing up to 3,170 g
554:. Reportedly, the recording demonstrates the duck saying "you bloody fool", possibly repeating a catchphrase from one of the caretakers of the reserve. Although other bird species are capable of mimicking human speech, no other duck species is reported to have that capability.
429:
566:, commonly referred to as the eastern musk duck, has a range from South Australia extending to the southern reaches of Queensland, through most of New South Wales and Victoria, and finally reaching as far south as Tasmania. The other subspecies is
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339:, with male musk ducks actually being slightly heavier than male common eiders, but female eiders being rather larger than female musk ducks due to that species' lesser size sexual dimorphism. Musk ducks float very low in the water, almost like a
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Adult males are 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 in) long and have a distinctive large, leathery lobe underneath the bill; females are 47 to 55 cm (19 to 22 in) long and unadorned. Their drab dark grey-brown, slightly pin-striped
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Musk ducks are sometimes shot by hunters, but are little prized, not being considered good eating. Wholesale clearing and draining of wetlands has impacted on their numbers, as has the widespread rise in
Australian water
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season, they give off the musky odour from which the species derives its common name. Also, in the season males advertise themselves loudly with a repetitive sequence of sounds: first, a
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412:. As such, it is fairly closely related to the stiff-tailed ducks proper, but it seems not quite as closely related as formerly believed, with many similarities due to
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This animal derives its common name from the peculiar musky odour it emanates during the breeding season. Musk ducks are moderately common through the
765:
Sraml, M.; Christidis, L.; Easteal, S.; Horn, P. & Collet, C. (1996). "Molecular
Relationships Within Australasian Waterfowl (Anseriformes)".
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maturity in the wild, but it may take several years. They are a long-lived species and are still capable of breeding when 20 years old or more.
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726:"Data set incongruence and correlated character evolution: An example of functional convergence in the hind-limbs of stifftail diving ducks"
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In
September 2021, reports circulated about a rediscovered tape that originally was recorded in 1987 of a musk duck named Ripper at
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swells during the breeding season, it is not connected to the vocal cavities and appears to be purely for visual purposes.
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typically in fairly deep water. They can descend to at least 6 m (about 20 ft). The primary diet items are
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stay on the water at night, sleeping well out from land with the head tucked into the body or under a wing.
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Male displaying the large bill lobe that appears during breeding season, Sandford, Tasmania, Australia
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570:, commonly referred to as the western musk duck. Its range is the south-west of Western Australia.
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platform of trampled plant material with a slight cup, lined with fine plant matter and, after the
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In its native range, the fanned tail is distinctive, allowing to distinguish this species from the
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508:), but this remains uncertain. The male plays no part in building the nest or raising the young.
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343:, and the large, webbed feet are well back on the body. The ducklings are covered in dark brown
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basins, and in the wetter, fertile areas in the south of the continent: the southwest corner of
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335:(6.99 lb). On average, they are the second-heaviest diving duck in the world after the
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make it difficult to place. Its relationship with the equally strange pink-eared ducks (
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McCracken, Kevin G.; Harshman, John; McClellan, David A. & Afton, Alan D. (1999).
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690:"A phylogenetic analysis of recent anseriform genera using morphological characters"
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need musk ducks fly swiftly and for long distances, with rapid, shallow wing beats.
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are quite enigmatic. It is traditionally included with the stiff-tailed duck
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splash made with the feet on the surface of the water; then two soft, sharp
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levels, but the species is not presently considered to be in danger.
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807:"Listen to an Australian duck say 'you bloody fool' like a human"
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793:"'You Bloody Fool,' Says First Talking Duck Known to Science"
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Mating is thought to be promiscuous, quite possibly on a
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385:, but appears to be only distantly related to the genus
358:) which has similar size, colouration, and habits. The
857:"Western Musk Duck (Subspecies Biziura lobata lobata)"
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670:by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (2008),
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614:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679830A92831295.en
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550:, who appeared to be the first duck recorded to
504:(a very large, flightless parrot found only in
668:CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, 2nd Edition
286:bones. It was about 8% longer than the living
562:The musk duck has two recognized subspecies.
517:surfacing until she is well away from it.
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433:Adult male with large bill lobe preening.
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254:. It is the only living member of the
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538:1987 speech mimicry tape rediscovered
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246:) is a highly aquatic, stiff-tailed
1224:IUCN Red List least concern species
600:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
374:The relationships of this peculiar
13:
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290:, with a particularly large head.
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438:, southern Queensland, Australia
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589:BirdLife International (2016).
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230:Distribution of the musk duck
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767:Australian Journal of Zoology
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688:Livezey, Bradley C. (1986).
640:"The New Zealand musk duck (
548:Australian Capital Territory
45:Male during breeding season
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843:Australian Faunal Directory
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1264:Endemic birds of Australia
1259:Birds of Western Australia
544:Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
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1279:Taxa named by George Shaw
1254:Birds of Victoria (state)
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96:Scientific classification
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1244:Birds of South Australia
1239:Birds of New South Wales
607:: e.T22679830A92831295.
500:system like that of the
19:Not to be confused with
1234:Birds described in 1796
837:Biziura lobata menziesi
743:10.1080/106351599259979
564:Biziura lobata menziesi
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271:or de Lautour's duck (
1142:Paleobiology Database
711:10.1093/auk/103.4.737
568:Biziura lobata lobata
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269:New Zealand musk duck
414:convergent evolution
275:), once occurred on
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525:Conservation status
391:, and its peculiar
356:Stictonetta naevosa
250:native to southern
66:Conservation status
976:BirdLife-Australia
730:Systematic Biology
642:Biziura delautouri
552:mimic human speech
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420:Ecology and status
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1249:Birds of Tasmania
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1129:Open Tree of Life
877:Taxon identifiers
779:10.1071/ZO9960047
676:978-1-4200-6444-5
636:Worthy, Trevor H.
461:freshwater snails
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303:Western Australia
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839:Mathews, 1914"
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835:"Subspecies
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153:Anseriformes
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21:Muscovy duck
1172:Anas lobata
1051:iNaturalist
909:Wikispecies
821:"Musk Duck"
657:(1): 19–28.
620:12 November
506:New Zealand
393:apomorphies
370:Systematics
317:Description
281:prehistoric
277:New Zealand
1218:Categories
1187:Q109563074
1155:Xeno-canto
574:References
558:Subspecies
31:Musk duck
1274:Oxyurinae
981:musk-duck
486:ker-plonk
465:shellfish
406:radiation
403:Gondwanan
383:Oxyurinae
380:subfamily
341:cormorant
284:subfossil
252:Australia
238:musk duck
181:Species:
119:Kingdom:
113:Eukaryota
1229:Anatidae
1181:Wikidata
1095:22679830
1069:10190423
968:22679830
963:BirdLife
894:Wikidata
752:12066296
651:Notornis
638:(2002).
532:salinity
410:Anatidae
311:Tasmania
307:Victoria
163:Anatidae
159:Family:
133:Chordata
129:Phylum:
123:Animalia
109:Domain:
86:IUCN 3.1
1201:4851075
1043:2498187
1030:1048541
1017:musduc1
991:musduc1
950:Avibase
900:Q917356
546:in the
490:cuc cuc
457:yabbies
376:species
332:plumage
288:species
265:extinct
260:Biziura
215:, 1796)
174:Biziura
169:Genus:
149:Order:
139:Class:
84: (
59:Female
1147:367980
1134:432041
1082:175255
750:
674:
502:kākāpō
388:Oxyura
309:, and
1269:Ducks
1121:70463
1108:45648
1064:IRMNG
1012:eBird
988:BOW:
693:(PDF)
647:(PDF)
263:. An
256:genus
1196:GBIF
1103:NCBI
1090:IUCN
1077:ITIS
1056:7178
1038:GBIF
1004:LY6T
748:PMID
672:ISBN
622:2021
605:2016
514:eggs
469:fish
463:and
345:down
297:and
248:duck
236:The
213:Shaw
143:Aves
1025:EoL
999:CoL
937:AFD
924:ADW
775:doi
738:doi
707:doi
703:103
698:Auk
609:doi
498:lek
408:of
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