Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Scientific name definitions

47–61 cm; male 642–1400 g, female 560–1400 g (1 Kratter, A. W., D. W. Steadman, C. E. Smith, and C. E. Filardi (2001). Reproductive condition, moult, and body mass of birds from Isabel, Solomon Islands. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 121(2):128–144. Close , 2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); wingspan 82–93 cm. Distinctive boldly streaked face ; body colour varies from brown to black; green speculum ; dirty yellow legs  . Only likely to be confused within range with A. rhynchotis (which has much larger bill and blue leading edge to upperwing), Chenonetta jubata (smaller bill, brown head with less distinct head pattern, no black eyestripe, spotted breast, pale grey tertials, white speculum and pale grey upper forewing) and <em>Stictonetta naevosa</em> (distinctive retroussé bill, no speculum, pale but not white underwing, long neck and humpbacked appearance in flight). Male has no eclipse plumage and sexual dimorphism  is limited. Female  has browner crown, back and rump; pale buff edges to many feathers making it more strongly marked than male. Juvenile resembles adult but is more streaked on lower foreneck and down to belly; indistinguishable from adult following first moult at c. 3 months (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Former subspecies based on slight differences in size and plumage coloration.

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• Mallard x Pacific Black Duck (hybrid) Anas platyrhynchos x superciliosa
• Pacific Black Duck x Northern Pintail (hybrid) Anas superciliosa x acuta
• Pacific Black Duck x Gray Teal (hybrid) Anas superciliosa x gracilis
• Pacific Black Duck x Chestnut Teal (hybrid) Anas superciliosa x castanea

Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kangean Is, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Lesser Sundas (E to Timor), New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Is, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand (including larger offshore islands), and SW Pacific Is (E to W French Polynesia).

Widespread in variety of wetlands , preferably small, well-vegetated , productive and of low salinity, but can use almost any kind, including channels, sewage ponds, rivers and mountain lakes in New Guinea and New Zealand, and prefers deeper-water marshes in SE Australia (6 Murray, C.G., Loyn, R.H., Kasel, S., Hepworth, G., Stamation, K. and Hamilton, A.J. (2012). What can a database compiled over 22 years tell us about the use of different types of wetlands by waterfowl in south-eastern Australian summers? Emu. 112(3): 209–217. Close ). Recorded breeding to c. 2500 m on Java (7 van Balen, S. (1992). The first breeding record of the Pacific Black Duck on Java. Kukila. 6(1): 38-39. Close ) and to 2100 m in Timor-Leste (8 Trainor, C. R. (2011). The waterbirds and coastal seabirds of Timor-Leste: new site records clarifying residence status, distribution and taxonomy. Forktail 27:63–72. Close ). Less common in saline habitats like estuaries, salt pans, coastal lagoons and sheltered inshore waters, but regularly resorts to such areas on subantarctic islands (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Regularly recorded at wastewater treatment plants (9 Murray, C.G. and Hamilton, A.J. (2010). Perspectives on wastewater treatment wetlands and waterbird conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology. 47: 976–985. Close ) and rice fields (including for breeding) (10 Taylor, I.R. and Schultz, M.C. (2010). Waterbird use of rice fields in Australia. Waterbirds. 33(Spec. Publ. 1): 71–82. Close ) in Australia. Frequents ornamental wetlands, except in New Zealand, where introduced and well-established A. platyrhynchos is dominant.

Mostly sedentary, but dispersive movements, especially from Australian inland areas, frequent in dry season; many ringing recoveries, some involving distances of more than 400 km, especially during severe droughts, when may also disperse across ocean within SW Pacifc region (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Numbers locally peak on rivers during hunting season in New Zealand (11 Wood, J.R. and Garden, C.J. (2010). Seasonal variation in duck populations on the Waihopai River, Invercargill, New Zealand. Notornis. 57(1): 57–62. Close ). Occasionally wanders to high altitudes, e.g. in the Snowy Mts, in SE New South Wales (12 Osborne, W.S. and Green, K. (1992). Seasonal changes in composition, abundance and foraging behaviour of birds in the Snowy Mountains. Emu 92(2):93–105. Close ). Birds seen crossing Torres Strait; New Guinea population may be swollen seasonally with Australian immigrants, and birds from Australia are also known to reach New Zealand (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), from where hybrids have dispersed to Lord Howe, Norfolk and Macquarie islands (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Presence on Mortlock Is unconfirmed (13 Buden, D.W. (2006). The birds of Satawan Atoll and the Mortlock Islands, Chuuk, including the first record of Tree Martin Hirundo nigricans in Micronesia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 126(2): 137–152. Close ).

Mostly vegetarian diet; seeds of aquatic  and fringe vegetation (Carex); also dry plants, especially in winter. Animal matter, including bivalve molluscs, freshwater crayfish, aquatic insects and their larvae, probably underestimated in gizzard samples. Forages mostly at night (mostly early and again at dawn) (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), by dabbling on surface or at edge of water, upending and grazing; occasionally by diving in shallow waters. Australian study found that birds spent on average 25·6% of daytime feeding and 37·6% resting, with clear peaks in foraging activity around sunrise and sunset, and upending (59·9%) and dipping (32·3%) were the commonest foraging methods (14 Hamilton, A.J., Taylor, I.R. and Hepworth, G. (2002). Activity budgets of waterfowl (Anatidae) on a waste-stabilisation pond. Emu. 102(2): 171–179. Close ). Usually occurs in small groups (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Vocal repertoire generally very similar to that of A. platyrhynchos: male gives loud “raehb”, which varies from more drawn-out version used in alarm, versus more clipped version in contact and softer, more hissy version during close contact, and also utters high-pitched whistle followed by deep resonant grunt (“grunt-whistle” call) in display; female gives loud “quack” in mild alarm and in contact, which is uttered more persistently during search for nest-site and sometimes prior to take-off, while “decrescendo” call comprises repeated quacks of decreasing amplitude and gives harsh quacks, sometimes in triplets, when inciting male to copulate, “gag-gag-gag, gag-gag-gag”; gives softer calls in close conversation, especially with ducklings  , even prior to hatching, or to male partner; young develop complete range of calls by c. 6 months old (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Starts Jun–Aug, with season continuing until Dec, sometimes Feb, in SE Australia and New Zealand (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); few data from elsewhere in range (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but eggs Jan and May in Timor-Leste (8 Trainor, C. R. (2011). The waterbirds and coastal seabirds of Timor-Leste: new site records clarifying residence status, distribution and taxonomy. Forktail 27:63–72. Close ), and nesting attempts recorded in virtually every month (except Oct–Nov) in New Caledonia (15 Barré, N., Tron, F., Chartendrault, V., Okahisa, Y., Sato, N.J., Legault, A. and Theuerkauf, J. (2013). Breeding seasons of landbirds in New Caledonia. Wilson J. Orn.. 125(2): 384–398. Close ). In single pairs, with site chosen by female, though accompanied by male (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); nest is lined with copious amounts of grey down, some feathers and surrounding material, if available, and situated in tree holes (e.g. red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis) (16 Kear, J. (2003). Cavity-nesting ducks: why woodpeckers matter. British Birds. 96(5): 217–233. Close ), old nests of other waterbirds, or occasionally on ground among vegetation; also uses nestboxes (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Frequently double-brooded, with successful breeding attempts separated by c. 8 weeks, with at least one record of a female nesting three times in single season, while relaying can occur within c. 2 weeks of a first brood being lost; pair may reunite soon after first brood fledges, or slight before this if intent on breeding again (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Usually 7–12 pale cream (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) eggs (3–15, or more by dump laying), laid at daily intervals (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), size 51–63 mm × 37–45 mm (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); incubation 26–32 days, by female alone, guarded by male (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); chicks have dark brown down on underparts, pale yellowish buff below and on dorsal spots , with conspicuous head pattern  like that of adult (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); leave nest as soon as dry (often in early morning) and fledge after 52–66 days (mean 58 days), with young accompanied by female alone  , which may kill “orphan” ducklings (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Sexual maturity at one year, with pair-bonds sometimes formed when birds just c. 6 months old (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). In one study, 20% of hatched young reached fledging, with c. 40% of clutches successfully incubated, 60% of total brood losses occurring within first ten days of life, and mean of five ducklings per brood (n = 21) reaching flying stage (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); average life expectancy of young just c. 15 months (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Longevity record unknown, but perhaps regularly reaches at least ten years old (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Natural predators include Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans) (17 Monnet, C., J.-C. Thibault, and A. Varney (1993). Stability and changes during the twentieth century in the breeding land-birds of Tahiti (Polynesia). Bird Conservation International 3(4):261–280. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Widespread and abundant, at least in Australia and New Zealand, with an estimated population of between 500,000 and 1,000,000 birds in first-named, but a steady decline in numbers was recorded in E Australia between mid 1980s and 1999 (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Populations in SW Pacific generally considered to be small (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), e.g. on Samoa, where it was perhaps at least peridoically numerous historically (18 Tarburton, M. K. (2001). Observations on the status of the land birds, wading birds and seabirds of Samoa. Emu 101(4):349–360. Close ), although elsewhere species has increased locally, e.g. on Tahiti, in recent decades (17 Monnet, C., J.-C. Thibault, and A. Varney (1993). Stability and changes during the twentieth century in the breeding land-birds of Tahiti (Polynesia). Bird Conservation International 3(4):261–280. Close ). Partial counts in Australia yielded 22,837–40,781 in Victoria (11–13% of total of ducks counted), and 14,245–39,129 in SW; estimated 15,000 at Bool Lagoon, S Australia; species is commonly hunted in the country (19 Kingsford, R.T. (1992). Maned Ducks and farm dams: a success story. Emu. 92(3): 163–169. Close ). Local in New Guinea; 163 birds counted in Papua New Guinea in 1990 partial census out of total of 6596 identified Anatidae. Increase in population of A. platyrhynchos causes competition and hybridization , threatening present species in SW Australia, Norfolk I, and in New Zealand where decreased from 1,500,000 in 1970 to 1,200,000 in 1981 and to just 80,000–150,000 by late 1990s (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), leading to former nominate subspecies being listed as Endangered by Threatened Waterfowl Specialist Group (2 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) and subsequently as Critical by New Zealand conservation authorities (20 Miskelly, C. M., J. E. Dowding, G. P. Elliott, R. A. Hitchmough, R. G. Powlesland, H. A. Robertson, P. M. Sagar, R. P. Scofield, and G. A. Taylor, (2008). Conservation status of New Zealand birds, 2008. Notornis 55(3):117–135. Close ), parallel to increase of A. platyrhynchos; in 1960 present species constituted 95% of all Anas in New Zealand, but less than 20% in 1985.