Radjah radjah
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The radjah shelduck (Radjah radjah) is a species of shelduck found mostly in New Guinea and Australia, and also on some of the Moluccas. It is known alternatively as the raja shelduck, black-backed shelduck, or in Australia as the Burdekin duck.
The specific name radjah is from the Moluccan name Radja for the radjah shelduck on the island of Buru in Indonesia. Formerly placed in the genus Tadorna, it differs markedly from other members in external morphology and mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data, suggesting its status should be reinvestigated. Current classification places it as the only member of the genus Radjah.
Both the male and female of the species are mostly white, with dark wing-tips and a distinctive "collar" of dark feathers. When viewed from above, during flight or with wings outstretched, green bands are visible on the tops of their wings. To communicate, the female utters a harsh rattle while the male emits a breathy, "sore-throat" whistle.
The radjah shelduck inhabits the mangrove forests and coastline of New Guinea (West Papua and Papua New Guinea) and Australia, and some of the Moluccas in eastern Indonesia... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Raja Shelduck sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 260 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 200 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Raja Shelduck in Raja Ampat on a given day, against about 10% in May and July–October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Raja Shelduck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Raja Shelduck sightings, Raja Ampat ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Daintree National Park (Australia, about 60%), Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 50%) and Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Raja Shelduck is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (260 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.
