Australian Wood Duck

About the Australian Wood Duck

The Australian wood duck, maned duck, or maned goose (Chenonetta jubata) is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta. The Australian wood duck was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Anas jubata.

It had been associated with the ringed teal as possibly its closest living relative, but more detailed recent genetic evidence points to it belonging to an early clade of diving ducks, with its closest relatives being blue duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) in New Zealand and the pantropical comb ducks (Sarkidiornis), and with these next closest to a group including Hartlaub's duck (Pteronetta hartlaubii), blue-winged goose (Cyanochen cyanoptera), marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), white-winged duck (Asarcornis scutulata), and the widespread genera Netta and Aythya.

The extinct, flightless New Zealand species Chenonetta finschi (Finsch's duck) which was formerly believed to constitute a monotypic genus (Euryanas) has been determined to belong to Chenonetta. It became extinct before scientists could properly survey the New Zealand avifauna, but possibly as... Wikipedia →