NigelJE
Musk Duck (Biziura lobata)
Found this young man at Serendip Sanctuary, VIC. I'm doing a Mike A here, the bird got too close but I did manage to get him in frame, just!
The Musk is a highly aquatic, diving duck native to southern Australia. It is the only living member of the genus Biziura. An extinct relative, the New Zealand musk duck or de Lautour's duck (B. delautouri), is only known from prehistoric subfossil bones.
These guys derive their name from the peculiar musky odour emanated during the breeding season.
The relationships of this peculiar species are quite enigmatic. It is traditionally included with the stiff-tailed duck subfamily Oxyurinae, but appears to be only distantly related to the genus Oxyura, and its peculiar apomorphies make it difficult to place. Its relationship with the equally strange pink-eared ducks (Malacorhynchus) is unresolved, but seems to be quite close, and it seems to be part of an ancient Gondwanan radiation of Anatidae. As such, it is quite closely related to the stiff-tailed ducks proper, but as it seems not as closely as generally believed, with many similarities due to convergent evolution (Wikipedia).
This species prefers deep, still lakes and wetlands with areas of both open water and reed beds. They seldom emerge from the water and are awkward on dry land. They rarely fly: take off is made with difficulty, and landing is a clumsy, low-angled affair with no attempt to lower the feet. On average, they are the second-heaviest diving duck in the world after the common eider, with male musk ducks actually being slightly heavier than male common eiders. Musk ducks float very low in the water, almost like a cormorant, and the large, webbed feet are well back on the body (Wikipedia).
Musk Duck (Biziura lobata)
Found this young man at Serendip Sanctuary, VIC. I'm doing a Mike A here, the bird got too close but I did manage to get him in frame, just!
The Musk is a highly aquatic, diving duck native to southern Australia. It is the only living member of the genus Biziura. An extinct relative, the New Zealand musk duck or de Lautour's duck (B. delautouri), is only known from prehistoric subfossil bones.
These guys derive their name from the peculiar musky odour emanated during the breeding season.
The relationships of this peculiar species are quite enigmatic. It is traditionally included with the stiff-tailed duck subfamily Oxyurinae, but appears to be only distantly related to the genus Oxyura, and its peculiar apomorphies make it difficult to place. Its relationship with the equally strange pink-eared ducks (Malacorhynchus) is unresolved, but seems to be quite close, and it seems to be part of an ancient Gondwanan radiation of Anatidae. As such, it is quite closely related to the stiff-tailed ducks proper, but as it seems not as closely as generally believed, with many similarities due to convergent evolution (Wikipedia).
This species prefers deep, still lakes and wetlands with areas of both open water and reed beds. They seldom emerge from the water and are awkward on dry land. They rarely fly: take off is made with difficulty, and landing is a clumsy, low-angled affair with no attempt to lower the feet. On average, they are the second-heaviest diving duck in the world after the common eider, with male musk ducks actually being slightly heavier than male common eiders. Musk ducks float very low in the water, almost like a cormorant, and the large, webbed feet are well back on the body (Wikipedia).