Chenonetta jubata at Red Hill Nature Reserve

1 Australian Wood Duck at Red Hill Nature Reserve

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Identification history

	Chenonetta jubata	22 Jul 2018	natureguy
	Chenonetta jubata	22 Jul 2018	BIrdsinCanberra

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Author's notes

Walking on Red Hill I could hear the female Australian Wood Ducks making their calls. This was the second weekend I had heard these birds. May be I am wrong but this seems to be new behaviour, possibly as they are preparing for their breeding season of Sep to Nov. The female seems to make her call while moving her head in a vast half circle. She then pauses before calling again in the same manner. The males seemed to be silent. First one bird, from my observations the male, then the other fly to a different tree to repeat the process. The birds I encountered were in pairs that seemed to be well spaced out across the hill. I also noticed one female fly to a tree hollow, which she put half her body into. I am unsure if she was examining it as a prospective nest or looking for food, not that I noticed her eating. She only flew to the hollow once before flying off. The male did not check out the hollow while I was looking.