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Pink-eared Duck

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Habitat: Wetland

Habitat

The Pink-eared Duck is found in areas near water. It prefers shallow, temporary waters, however, open wetlands support large flocks. It is a highly dispersive and nomadic species.

Behaviour

Pink-eared Ducks often feed in head-to-tail pairs swimming in a circle, which concentrates small organisms in a rotating column of water.

Feeding

Pink-eared Ducks feed in shallow warmish waters. The highly specialised bill is fringed with fine lamellae (grooves) to filter out the microscopic plants and animals which make up the bulk of its diet.

Breeding

Breeding can take place all year round and is dependant on floodwaters. The nest is a rounded mass of down placed in a hollow or on a stump above the water. Pink-eared Ducks usually take over nests built by other birds, especially the Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, and the Black-tailed Native Hen, Gallinula ventralis. Pink-eared Ducks form monogamous, probably life-long pair-bonds. The female incubates the eggs, and both parents brood the young.