Paradise Shelduck

(Tadorna variegata)
Also known as putangitangi, paradise duck, pari.

Live: Endemic to New Zealand and widespread in all but a few areas.

Habitat: Farmland, grassland, wetlands.

Diet: In the wild, young grasses and clover shoots, grains and seed-heads, swamp and aquatic grasses particularly during breeding, insects and earthworms when available. On the coast they may also eat crustaceans.

Zoo diet: Duck pellet mix

Gestation: The breeding season is August to January. Nests are usually depressions in the ground, hidden under shelter and well-lined with down. The birds may also nest in hollow logs, tree holes and rock crevices.

Between 8 and 12 eggs are incubated by the female for 30-32 days. She leaves the nest regularly to feed during daylight. The male is present at the nest only after hatching.

Parents guard their offspring until they fledge at 56 days. In their first 2 weeks, ducklings stay close to or on the water and feed on aquatic insects, after which they graze with their parents.

Status: Common

General: Both sexes are a similar size.The male is mostly black, with brown under the tail. The female's head and neck are pure white and her body is a rich chestnut.

A range of calls includes honks.

They live in pairs and often form lifelong bonds, but another partner is found if one bird dies. They are territorial apart from two months spent at a communal site during the annual moult, when they are flightless. Non-breeding birds form flocks which occasionally damage young crops or newly-sown pastures.