A large goose-like duck with orange-chestnut undertail and tertials.  The male has a black head with a greenish gloss and a dark grey finely barred black body.  The female has a white head, and a bright orange-chestnut body, obscured by darker fine barring in eclipse plumage.  In flight both have prominent white patches on the upperwings.They are very vocal and the male call is a ‘zonk-zonk…’, and the female a shrill ‘zeek-zeek’.  They are usually seen in pairs or flocks in farmland, lakes, ponds and high-country riverbeds.  All birds gather at traditional moult sites in December – February, and disperse again in March – April.

Paradise Shelduck graze on grass and clover, grass and weed seeds, and stubble or standing crops of peas or grain, causing damage to young pasture, hay and grain crops.  They also eat aquatic vegetation.

Breeding is between August and December.  Birds pair for life.  The nest of grasses, lined with down feathers is usually built in hollow logs, burrows, rock crevices, under exposed tree roots, or in a tree hole up to 25 metres above the ground.  The clutch of 5 – 15 white eggs is incubated by the female for 30 - 35 days.  Once hatched the chicks are led to open water, which can be over a kilometre away and fledge at c. 8 weeks old.

There is at least one pair of paradise shelduck on Tiri.

Photography by: Max McRae © (left, male paradise shelduck) and by Simon Fordham © (right, female paradise shelduck) and Julia Sich © (female, bottom right)

References: Heather, B.D.; Robertson, H.A. 2000 The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand. Auckland, Viking.
Moon, G The Reed Field Guide to New Zealand Birds.