#chenonetta

Australian Wood Duck aka Maned Goose (Chenonetta jubata), male, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, SA, Australia

Chenonetta jubata feather

18-SEP-2025

Australian wood duck (Chenonetta jubata)

In te reo Māori, Manutahora.

Originally described as Anas finschi in 1876 by Belgian ornithologist Pierre-Joseph van Beneden, after German ornithologist Otto Finsch, who first recognised it as a distinct species. It then got shifted to its own genus, Euryanas, until it was discovered to have recently evolved from the Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata.

A large flightless duck once common in the drier eastern parts of Aotearoa. Guess what happened to it. Go on, Take. A Fucking. Guess. This has been a pretty depressing run of species to cover.

Possibly still around as recently as 1870. Subfossil remains have been found dating to the 17th century.

By J. J. Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0

PLEASE SUPPORT US ON PATREON. EACH and EVERY DONATION helps to keep this blog running! Any amount, even ONE DOLLAR is APPRECIATED! IF YOU ENJOY THIS CONTENT, please CONSIDER DONATING!  

Name: Chenonetta jubata

Status: Extant

First Described: 1836

Described By: Brandt 

Classification: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Galloanserae, Anseriformes, Anseres, Anatoidea, Anatidae 

Today’s dinosaur is The Australian Wood Duck! This is a rather adorable duck in my opinion, and they actually aren’t very sexually dimorphic in terms of plumage, both the males and females having mottled bodies and brown heads, though the females also have white stripes on the eye and the males have grey halves on the backs of their bodies. These birds look like small geese, but actually might be most closely related to the Ringed Teal. They are not considered threatened with extinction, and they are found throughout Australia, even extending to Tasmania. They primarily live in grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and along the coast, usually in deeper ponds. It actually forages on land, rather than water, eating grasses, herbs, and sometimes insects. They make croaky calls, the males making slightly smoother calls than the females. They nest in tree cavities, laying up to 11 eggs, which the female incubates while the male stands guard. The parents then work together to keep the ducklings safe upon leaving the nest. 

By Sam Snowmanradio, CC BY-SA 2.0

Buy the author a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/kulindadromeus

Source: