Green Pygmy Goose
Australian Pygmy Goose
The Australian Pygmy Goose ( Nettapus pulchellus ), also called Green Dwarf Comb Duck, is a tropical species of Anatidae and is among the dabbling ducks. It is a very small duck, which has a goose -like beak, and is highly bound in their way of life on the water. Its distribution area is the tropical north of Australia and New Guinea.
Appearance
The Australian Pygmy Goose achieved grown a body length of 30 to 36 inches. The wing span is 48 to 60 centimeters. Males weigh on average 310 grams, females 304.Die Australian Pygmy Goose is a small, compact design of duck with a striking glossy bottle-green back plumage.
The males of the Australian Toy duck have a bottle-green throat. The top plate is greenish brown. Remarkable are especially the white cheeks and white throat patch with them. Both throat and cheek stain are very variable in extent. The beak is lead- gray and has a showy pink -horn -colored nail. The wings are green and white, the belly is white with a gray approach. The legs and feet are dark grünöliv and the eyes are dark brown. In Plain dress, the male resembles the female.
The female is the male not dissimilar. However, he lacks the green neck and the conspicuous beak coloring with the bright nail. The head is darker and has a pale brownish eyes glancing over. Overall, the upper half of the body is gray-brown to the eye level. Contrast, young birds have a plumage similar to the female, but that are overall less contrasty. The chicks are very small. They are brownish on the body top. The head has a dark brown head board. The body underside is white. On the fuselage and on the wings there are white spots. The tail is relatively long. Of the chicks of the Coromandel Pygmy Goose, the chicks of the Australian Toy duck distinguished by the more striking dark eyes glancing.
Young birds have a plumage that is very similar to the female. In their case, however, the scaling are less pronounced from the throat to the chest.
On land the Australian dwarf duck is very rarely observed. She moves where he continued very clumsy. Their periods of rest she spends directly on the water, so they float motionless for example, during the hottest time of the day between aquatic plants. Only occasionally can be observed on sandbars or on branches directly above the water. The flight is fast and direct. They usually flies low over the water. Here are frequently high whistling to hear from her.
Possible confusion with other types
Their small size and compact body makes the Australian dwarf duck almost unmistakable in their area of distribution. The only way that resembles her, is the Coromandel Pygmy Goose, which also occurs in the coastal area of Queensland. The two species, both of which belong to the genus of dwarf ducks, but differ by their body coloring: The Coromandel Pygmy Goose is much brighter overall and lacks the bottle-green back plumage. The most striking difference between the males is the white face of the Coromandel dwarf duck. The females and young birds are difficult to tell apart.
Distribution and population
The main distribution area of the Australian Pygmy Goose is the tropical north of Australia. It also occurs in the southern lowlands of New Guinea and some islands of eastern Indonesia. In particular, in these islands is their status but uncertain. On some islands, their status is not used as a breeding bird so far.
In the tropical north of Australia, the Australian Pygmy Goose is widespread. But it is nowhere common. Depending on whether suitable habitats are present, it is taking short hikes in more humid regions. They may also draws from the Cape York Peninsula to New Guinea. Negative effect on them that imported water buffalo and cattle adversely affect the aquatic vegetation on which the Australian dwarf duck is instructed as a food source. Overall, the stock to be less than 10,000 individuals will be appreciated.
Habitat
The Australian Pygmy Goose is limited to the coastal area and occurs here only in tropical wetlands. Occasionally they can be found also on water with brackish or even salt water. It is sometimes also observed in the range of estuaries. It is basically a strongly bound to the water breeds of ducks. During the dry season they stick to fresh water at a range of floating leaves and submerged vegetation. During the rainy season it uses only temporarily existing waters. She avoids shallow waters as well as those with rapid water movement or to a dense growth of underwater vegetation. It is found also on channels and billabongs and also uses water retention basins. During the rainy season also flooded rice fields and flooded pastures are used.
Australian Call ducks live year-round in pairs or small family groups. During the drier season occasionally they gather in larger squads. Such teams can sometimes consist of up to 200 individuals.
Food
The Australian dwarf duck feeds almost exclusively vegetable. Your food it takes most directly on the water surface. Occasionally, however, they also delt green to get to underwater plants. Also dives up to a depth of 30 centimeters have been observed with her. She pulls plants to the water surface, it has demolished under water with vigorous head movements. Among her most important food plants water lilies (Nymphaea gigantea Nymphaea capensis and ), whose flowers, buds and seed pods she eats. It is crepuscular and search for their food mainly in the morning and evening hours. The feeding areas are very small and are vigorously defended by the male. During the day the ducks between the leaves of the floating leaf vegetation rest. Due to the green back colouration they are well camouflaged.
Reproduction
Since the pairs are clearly visible in the to-large crews during the dry season, it is believed that they, long-term if not even lead time marriages. The breeding season coincides with the rainy season, otherwise relatively little is known about the reproductive, the Australian dwarf duck. So one has yet found, for example, only a few nests. It assumes, however, that it breeds mainly in hollow trees right near the water. Similar to the Coromandel dwarf duck the common search for the nest site is part of the Balzrepertoires. The eggs are oval and cream. The full clutch consists of about ten eggs. Only the female incubates.
Attitude in captivity
Australian Call ducks are rarely shown in zoos. To Europe, although in 1935 some of these ducks have already been imported, but the animals are not accustomed on. In the Australian zoos in Perth, Sydney and Adelaide total of 10 Australian Call ducks were kept from 1972, but also proved to be difficult. In the post-1990 European and North American imported Australian Call ducks are animals that were caught in New Guinea. In Australia, the export of wildlife is prohibited. Although the transport conditions for such tomboys have improved significantly since the 1930s, and the birds in tropical halls or aviaries with heated shelters much better holding and feeding conditions can be provided, died in these imports has also the majority of the animals. In 1997 there were 10 pairs that were held more than two years and the may be considered as settled. This had not yet been propagated to 1999.