Vik's Gallery:   Blue-billed Duck (1/4)

ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae

Oxyura australis  

I haven't often had a good view of a Blue-billed Duck. Dr Harry Frith wrote that it is usually believed to be a rare species but that this is entirely due to its secretive habits and dense habitat.*

Luckily, we found three males in a couple of the small lakes at Karkarook Park and got good views when they swam out from the cover of the swamp vegetation along the edge.

*Frith, H.J. (1967). Waterfowl in Australia. Angus and Robertson, p.305.