Listen to the Paradise shelduck
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Paradise shelduck
The Paradise shelduck is a bird in the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults weigh around 1.4 kg.
What does the Paradise shelduck sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as paradise-duck-song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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. Johann Friedrich Gmelin placed it in the genus Anas with the ducks, geese, and swans. Both the male and female have striking plumages: the male has a black head and barred black body and the female has a white head with a chestnut body. They weigh between 1.09 and 2 kg (2.4 and 4.4 lb) and are between 63 and 71 cm (25 and 28 in) in length.
Paradise shelducks mate for life and usually live as pairs, and moult their feathers from December to February. They are primarily herbivorous, and mostly graze on pasture grasses and clover, but have been observed eating a wide range of invertebrates. They are seasonally hunted as a game bird throughout New Zealand, and today the IUCN Red List classifies them as a species of least concern.
Related birds in the genus Tadorna
More from the family Anatidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a Paradise shelduck sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the Paradise shelduck on this page, including its paradise-duck-song. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the Paradise shelduck endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Paradise shelduck as “least concern”.
What family does the Paradise shelduck belong to?
The Paradise shelduck (Tadorna variegata) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
Sources & credits
- Paradise-duck-song – CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q747813 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Paradise shelduck – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Michael Hamilton – CC BY-SA 2.0