Radjah shelduck

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Radjah shelduck

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Radjah
Reichenbach, 1853
Species:
R. radjah
Binomial name
Radjah radjah
(
Lesson, RP
, 1828)
Subspecies

R. r. radjah (Lesson, RP, 1828)
R. r. rufitergum (Hartert, 1905)

Synonyms

Tadorna radjah

The radjah shelduck (Radjah radjah), is a

Moluccas
. It is known alternatively as the raja shelduck, black-backed shelduck, or in Australia as the Burdekin duck.

Taxonomy

The specific name radjah is from the Moluccan name Radja for the radjah shelduck on the island of Buru in Indonesia.[2]

Formerly placed in the

sequence data, suggesting its status should be reinvestigated.[3]
Current classification places it in its own monotypic genus Radjah.

Description

Radjah shelduck at the London Wetland Centre

Both the male and female of the species are mostly white, with dark wing-tips and a distinctive "collar" of dark feathers. When viewed from above, during flight or with wings outstretched, green bands are visible on the tops of their wings. To communicate, the female utters a harsh rattle while the male emits a breathy, "sore-throat" whistle.

Distribution and habitat

The radjah shelduck inhabits the mangrove forests and coastline of

Kimberley in Western Australia
. The radjah shelduck is listed as a protected bird in all the states of Australia, and penalties are enforced for harming or disturbing them.

The species prefers the salty waters of

river deltas, and billabongs
further inland during the wet season.

Behaviour

The radjah shelduck forms long-term, bonded pairs, and they are usually encountered in lone pairs or small flocks. During the rainy season, the males commonly become very irritable, and have been observed attacking their mates.

The ducks' preferred diet consists mainly of mollusks, aquatic or other insects, worms, aquatic weeds, sedge materials and algae. Pairs start searching for nesting sites during the months of January and February. They nest close to their primary food source, often in the hollow limbs of dead or dehydrated trees, which makes habitat destruction a particular issue.

The radjah shelduck does not use nesting materials apart from some self-supplied down feathers. Egg-laying is usually completed by May or June, but depends on the extent of the wet season. The clutches range from 6 to 12 eggs. Incubation time is about 30 days.


References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22680029A92839434.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4
    .
  3. doi:10.1071/ZO9960047

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Radjah radjah.
Wikispecies has information related to Radjah radjah.
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