Oxyura australis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The blue-billed duck (Oxyura australis) is a small Australian stiff-tailed duck, with both the male and female growing to a length of 40 cm (16 in). The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck's common name. The male has deep chestnut plumage during breeding season, reverting to a dark grey. The female retains black plumage with brown tips all year round. The duck is endemic to Australia's temperate regions, inhabiting natural inland wetlands and also artificial wetlands, such as sewage ponds, in large numbers. It can be difficult to observe due to its cryptic nature during its breeding season through autumn and winter. The male duck exhibits a complex mating ritual. The blue-billed duck is omnivorous, with a preference for small aquatic invertebrates. BirdLife International has classified this species as Least concern. Major threats include drainage of deep permanent wetlands, or their degradation as a result of introduced fish, peripheral cattle grazing, salinization, and lowering of ground water.
The blue-billed duck was described in 1836 by ornithologist John Gould. The specific name australis is derived from... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Melbourne Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Perth Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Caversham Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-billed Duck sighting in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 168th most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-billed Duck in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-billed Duck sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, in our data
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Blue-billed Duck sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Blue-billed Duck that you can see in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Grey Teal (about 30%), Australian Wood Duck (about 30%) and Pacific Black Duck (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-billed Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
