Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis
Male Blue-billed Duck, Menindee Lake, NSW, Australia, March 2006 - click for larger image Menindee Lake, NSW, Australia
March 2006

The Blue-billed Duck is distributed in south-west and south-east Australia including Tasmania. It is found in freshwater swamps and lakes with well vegetated edges.

Male Blue-billed Duck, Menindee Lake, NSW, Australia, March 2006 - click for larger image The male, shown here, has a chestnut body, a black head and a bright blue bill. It is very similar to the Lake Duck Oxyura vittata of South America and both species are considered by some authorities to be a superspecies.

The female is different from its South American relative in being fairly plain with only faint markings on the head.
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