Hardhead Duck Aythya australis – is the only true diving duck found in Australia. They feed by diving deeply.
Image details
Contributor:
Adrian Page / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
BP3PKRFile size:
57.9 MB (1.5 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
5500 x 3682 px | 46.6 x 31.2 cm | 18.3 x 12.3 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
2009Location:
South East Queensland AustraliaMore information:
Hardhead Aythya australis Like the other members of the poachard group, Hardheads feed by diving deeply, often staying submerged for as long as a minute at a time. They slip under the water with barely a ripple, simply lowering their heads and thrusting with their powerful webbed feet. They eat a broad range of small aquatic creatures, and supplement this with water weeds. Hardheads prefer larger lakes, swamps and rivers with deep, still water, but are often seen in smaller streams, flooded grasslands, and shallow pools. As a general rule, they avoid coastal waters. They rarely come to land and never perch in trees. Hardheads are small by duck standards, usually not much more than 45 cm long but reaching 60 cm sometimes, and noticeably more rounded in overall form than most ducks. Both male and female are a fairly uniform chocolate-brown above, with rufous flanks and white undersides (which are often not visible if the duck is in the water). The trailing edges and almost the entire underside of the wings are white. In the male, the eyes are a striking white (Hardheads sometimes used to be known as White-eyed Ducks), in the female, brown. Widespread throughout its large range, the Hardhead is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN list of Threatened Species.