And the bush has friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him, In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wonderous glory of the everlasting stars.

Banjo Paterson (1889)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Plumed Whistling-Ducks

The far north and part of eastern Australia is home to the two whistling-duck species found in Australia, well now we may have three, as the Spotted Whistling-Ducks from Papua New Guinea is possibly breeding in northern Queensland. The two commonly found whistling-ducks are the Wandering and the Plumed.



These Plumed Whistling-Ducks, were in good numbers at most wetlands in the Broome area in February. They can easily be told from the Wandering Whistling-Duck by the pink bill and legs and the fantastic long plumes on the flanks.




Probably a male and female, as most were paired and calling to each other with their high-pitched whistling calls when alarmed or flying.

5 comments:

Birdtracker said...

Thanks Richard for your comment on the Dippers. Yes they are one of my favourite birds to watch. Good to meet you and I will follow your own blog now.

Shawn said...

A very beautiful blog you have here, Richard, Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. You've got awesome photographs here, especially these lovely birds!

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

These are absolutely gorgeous ducks. Very special birds and cute with their feathers sticking out. Your photography is superb. We have just replanted some of our orchard with native trees and shrubs. We left the fruit trees as the wildlife enjoys the fruit as well! I have already seen an increase in wildlife. Birds, lizards, butterflies, moth and other insects. We do not mow any more, the longer grass provides a lot of protection and also food.

Wilma said...

Beautiful, beautiful birds, Richard. Although I have heard of them, I have never seen them before.

Dale said...

A week ago, we were greeted by four beautiful birds, which no one could identify. I sent a photo to a friend who is the curator of Durban's Zoo in South Africa and he advised that they were Plumed Whistlers and native to Australia. As residents of New Zealand, can you advise how common they are in New Zealand, many thanks in advance