Endemic to southern Australia, this large pale goose grazes on coastal pastures and islands in family groups.
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
Indigenous: Bibib, Pig Goose
At a glance
FamilyDucks, Geese, and Waterfowl
SizeLarge
RarityCommon
Habitatgrassland, open woodland, sparse woodland, herbaceous graminoids sparse hummock grasses, and waterbodies
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from December to January.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Vanessa Ferdinand
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
34981approx records
5states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Note pale yellow and slightly drooping bill.
Behavior
Mostly seen as pairs or loose flocks scattered around coastal wetlands, salt marshes, and grassy pasture areas.
Gallery
Regional timing
South Australia
Tasmania
Western Australia
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
Northern Territory
Australian Capital Territory
Commonly confused with
Freckled DuckStictonetta naevosaBeak is strongly curved like a ski-jump. Breeding males have a red base to their bill. Upper-wing is dark, while under-wing is paler gray. When perched, distinguish from Hardhead (which have a pale belly patch). More reliable inland, but can be common one year and absent the next from any given location.→MallardAnas platyrhynchosMales are distinctive with iridescent green head, yellow bill, chestnut breast, and gray body. Females are mottled brown with orange and black splotches on the bill. In North America, females can be tricky to distinguish from American Black Duck, Mottled Duck, and Mexican Duck where ranges overlap. Those species are all darker-bodied than Mallard. A good view of the wing can be helpful, too: white wingbars on the leading and trailing edges of the blue wing patch are bolder on Mallard. Frequently hybridizes with those species, which can be even more confusing. Any bird with extensive white in the tail or curled feathers above the tail has some Mallard genes.→Musk DuckBiziura lobataFloats very low in the water. Both sexes are dark grayish, but male has an obvious lobe of skin dangling from its chin. Bill is much shorter and heavier than Blue-billed Duck.→