Malacorhynchus membranaceus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The pink-eared duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) is a species of duck found in Australia. The pink-eared duck has a large spatulate bill like the Australasian shoveler, but is smaller at 38–40 cm length. Its brown back and crown, black and white barred sides and black eye patches on its otherwise white face make this bird unmistakable. Juveniles are slightly duller, but otherwise all plumages are similar. Its vernacular name refers to a pink spot in the corner formed by the black head pattern; it is only noticeable at close distance however, making the origin of the seldom-used Australian name of zebra duck more readily apparent.
The pink-eared duck was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Anas membranacea. It is the only living member of the genus Malacorhynchus; a closely related, but slightly larger extinct form from New Zealand was described as Scarlett's duck (Malacorhynchus scarletti). This peculiar duck may be most closely related to the shelducks but its relationships are enigmatic. It may be closer to the musk duck and the stiff-tails and, formerly placed in the paraphyletic... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Centro Cicogne e Anatidi | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 7 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 9 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 10 | Central Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 12 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 13 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-eared Duck sighting in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 121st most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-eared Duck in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and April–December, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pink-eared Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Pink-eared Duck sightings, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Pink-eared 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 Pink-eared Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (32 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.
