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17 He aha tērā? Mallard Duck

Medium size birds sitting on grass by a lake. One bird is brown, the other has a green head, yellow bill, pale body with dark areas.
Miraz Jordan

You’ll have no trouble with this very common medium size water fowl. Its quacking will be very familiar. We see them on lakes and the estuary. He aha tērā? What is that?

Two birds in flight above a small lake.

Photo by Miraz Jordan. Used with permission.

Answer: it’s a mallard duck:

Identification: Length: 50 - 70 cm; Weight: 1050 - 1300 g

Similar species: Grey duck

A large dabbling duck with a yellowish or grey and orange bill, dark eyes, orange legs and feet, chestnut breast, and metallic blue speculum. Breeding plumage males have a glossy green head and neck, pale grey back and flanks, and blackish rump and undertail with curled black upper tail coverts; females are dull brown with buff edged body feathers and a dark eye-stripe on the face.

This item was updated on Wednesday 23 March 2022

I live at Waikawa Beach and love all the wildlife, fauna and flora.