Freckled Duck
Encyclopedia
The Freckled Duck is a moderately large, broad-bodied duck
native to southern Australia
. The duck is protected by law. Dark in colour with fine off-white speckles all over, it is most easily identified by its large head with a peaked (as opposed to rounded) crown.
This species was formerly allied with the dabbling ducks, but is now placed in a monotypic
subfamily Stictonettinae. It appears to be part of a Gondwana
n radiation of waterfowl, before true duck
s evolved
(Sraml et al. 1996).
The Freckled Duck feeds by dabbling in shallow water, often by wading near the edge. It prefers large, well-vegetated swamps, but moves to open water after breeding or in dry periods.
In flight, it has a distinctive rapid wing beat and holds its head low, making it look rather hunchbacked. It does not turn rapidly and lands clumsily.
In dry years, the ephemeral wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin
and Lake Eyre
disappear and Freckled Ducks migrate to permanent water in coastal regions. This concentration in populated areas, coupled with their habit of circling repeatedly at low altitude when disturbed (even when being shot at) makes them particularly vulnerable to hunting.
Although protected by law in all states, the reality is that hunters continue to shoot Freckled Duck. During the 1979-83 drought, for example, the population was reduced by about 5%. There have been steps taken to require shooters to pass a waterfowl identification test in Victoria (the state where, because of the nature of the wetlands, Freckled Duck are most vulnerable) and to make pre-season surveys of Freckled Duck numbers in wetlands so as to temporarily close areas to shooting, but it is too early to know how effective these changes will be.
In the longer-term, the key survival issue for Freckled Duck is likely to be habitat rather than hunting. Vast areas of former wetlands in the interior have been drained and cleared for agriculture, the remaining areas are threatened by salinity, by the diversion of water to supply cities and farms, and by long-term climate change: as rains come less often and higher average temperatures increase evaporation, Australia's inland wetlands become less able to sustain life.
Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia has for the last 5 years had a breeding program to help ensure the survival of this vulnerable species. Recently the program has had some success with two successful hatchings (24 Ducks). Interested members of the public can view (and support) the freckled ducks at the Ramsar Convention
protected wetlands.
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
native to southern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The duck is protected by law. Dark in colour with fine off-white speckles all over, it is most easily identified by its large head with a peaked (as opposed to rounded) crown.
This species was formerly allied with the dabbling ducks, but is now placed in a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
subfamily Stictonettinae. It appears to be part of a Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
n radiation of waterfowl, before true duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s evolved
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
(Sraml et al. 1996).
The Freckled Duck feeds by dabbling in shallow water, often by wading near the edge. It prefers large, well-vegetated swamps, but moves to open water after breeding or in dry periods.
In flight, it has a distinctive rapid wing beat and holds its head low, making it look rather hunchbacked. It does not turn rapidly and lands clumsily.
In dry years, the ephemeral wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin
Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...
and Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
disappear and Freckled Ducks migrate to permanent water in coastal regions. This concentration in populated areas, coupled with their habit of circling repeatedly at low altitude when disturbed (even when being shot at) makes them particularly vulnerable to hunting.
Although protected by law in all states, the reality is that hunters continue to shoot Freckled Duck. During the 1979-83 drought, for example, the population was reduced by about 5%. There have been steps taken to require shooters to pass a waterfowl identification test in Victoria (the state where, because of the nature of the wetlands, Freckled Duck are most vulnerable) and to make pre-season surveys of Freckled Duck numbers in wetlands so as to temporarily close areas to shooting, but it is too early to know how effective these changes will be.
In the longer-term, the key survival issue for Freckled Duck is likely to be habitat rather than hunting. Vast areas of former wetlands in the interior have been drained and cleared for agriculture, the remaining areas are threatened by salinity, by the diversion of water to supply cities and farms, and by long-term climate change: as rains come less often and higher average temperatures increase evaporation, Australia's inland wetlands become less able to sustain life.
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
protected wetlands.