The Paradise Shelduck (Tadorna variegata) also known as the Paradise Duck, or Pūtangitangi in Māori, is a species of shelduck, a group of goose-like ducks, which is endemic to New Zealand.
This bird is common and is found over most of New Zealand. The female bird has a white head, and the male is a much darker bird. Individuals weigh between 1.4 and 1.7 kg and are about 65cm in length. Paradise Shelducks mate for life and usually live as pairs. These birds, which I take to be a bounded pair, were on the beach at Oban on Stewart Island. This species is largely herbivorous, and mostly graze on pasture grasses and clover, but have been observed eating a wide range of invertebrates.
Both of these birds were drinking and washing in a small stream (or possibly stormwater drain) that was flowing over the beach.
As ever, to join in with WBW, click on the link below. Cheers SM
The Kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) is also known as the New Zealand Pigeon or the New Zealand Wood Pigeon. A large, conspicuous pigeon that is endemic to NZ. It is up to 50 cm in length and between 550–850 g in weight, with a white breast and iridescent green–blue plumage. It's a magnificent bird to see. And thankfully it's also reasonably common in NZ.
This is a species that is expanding its population in NZ after a significant reduction in population. Given it's 'family meal' size I'm more than a little surprised that it survived the vagaries of first people arrival and later European colonisation - but thankfully it did!
The pairs of birds are monogamous, and where you find one bird you will often find another.
These pictures were taken at various location around North and South Island.
As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below. Cheers SM
The Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native found over much of North America.
I saw this individual at the St. Jacobs Millrace trail in Ontario, Canada. It was a cloudy day, and I only managed one burst of pictures before the Muskrat dived and disappeared.
I'm sure this will be a familiar animal to many of you (most of my blog views come from Canada and the USA) - but I was pretty excited to see one - even though it was not a beaver!
Adult muskrats weigh 0.6–2 kg, with a body length (excluding the tail) of 20–35 cm. They are covered with short, thick fur of medium to dark brown color. Their long tails, covered with scales rather than hair.
According to the sources on the internet 'The muskrat's name probably comes from a word of Algonquian origin, muscascus (literally "it is red", so called for its colourings), or from the Abenaki native word mòskwas. Because of the association with the "musky" odor, which the muskrat uses to mark its territory, and its flattened tail, the name became altered to musk-beaver; later it became "muskrat" due to its resemblance to rats'.
Equally interesting is the fact that it is illegal to import Muskrats into New Zealand!
Cheers. SM
