Radjah ShelduckPhotos, Pictures, Prints

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Radjah radjah

The radjah shelduck (Radjah radjah), is a species of shelduck found in New Guinea and Australia, and on some of the Moluccas. Both the male and female of the species are mostly white, with dark wing-tips and a distinctive “collar” of dark feathers. Seen from above in flight, the birds have green bands on the tops of their wings. The female makes a harsh rattle, while the male has a breathy, sore-throat whistle.

This duck inhabits mangrove forests and coastline. It prefers the brackish waters of mangrove flats and paperbark tree swamps. However, it will visit freshwater swamps, lagoons, and billabongs during the wet season.

Their diet consists mainly of mollusks, insects, sedge materials and algae. Pairs start searching for nesting sites during the months of January and February. They nest close to their primary food source, often in the hollow limbs of trees, which makes habitat destruction a particular issue.

The radjah shelduck does not use nesting materials except for some self-supplied down feathers. Females lay eggs by May or June, but this depends on the extent of the wet season.

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