Tadorna variegata
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Habitat: lowlands or high country
Length: 25 in – 28 in long
Weight: 2.8 – 4 lbs
Average Lifespan: up to 23 years
Incubation Period: 30 – 35 days
Number of Eggs: 5 – 15
- The genus name Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and means “pied waterfowl”,
essentially the same as the English “shelduck” - The adults are primarily herbivorous preferring pasture grasses and clover while
the young eat mostly aquatic insects for the first five weeks of life before grazing
on land - They are among the noisiest of all the waterfowl
- Paradise Shelduck pairs are very territorial. They occupy and defend it for life,
except the time spent at communal molting sites - Paradise Shelducks mate for life, and remain together from year to year.
They return to the same nesting area - This species was discovered by Captain Cook in 1773, and he named it
“Painted Duck” - While the population was once threatened, more than 700,000 Paradise ducks
may live in New Zealand today