Green Pygmy Goose Nettapus pulchellus
Male and female Green Pygmy-goose, Mareeba, Queensland, Australia, November 2010 - click for larger image Australia

The Green Pygmy Goose is distributed in tropical north Australia and southern New Guinea. It is found in lagoons and lakes usually with emergent vegetation such as water-lilies as in photo 3.

Male Green Pygmy-goose, Mareeba, Queensland, Australia, November 2010 - click for larger image The name "goose" is a misnomer as it is not a goose but rather a perching duck closely related to the Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata.

It feeds almost exclusively on vegetation of which up to half can be the seeds and buds of water-lilies.

Male and female Green Pygmy-goose, Cooktown, Queensland, Australia, November 2010 - click for larger image They seem to pair for life and the male is very aggressive when defending a nest site or a female.

There is more information available via Avibase.

Male and female Green Pygmy-goose, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, October 2013 - click for larger image
Male and female Green Pygmy-goose, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, October 2013 - click for larger image
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