Aythya australis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The hardhead (Aythya australis), also known as the white-eyed duck, is the only true diving duck found in Australia. The common name "hardhead" has nothing to do with the density of the bird's skull, instead referring to the difficulty encountered by early taxidermists in processing the head. Hardheads are found in wetter, coastal regions of Australia, particularly in the south-east, but are known to disperse as far afield as New Guinea, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
Hardheads are smaller than most ducks, with body length typically between 42–59 cm (17–23 in). Both sexes are similar in size, ranging 525–1,100 g (18.5–38.8 oz) with wingspans of 65–70 cm (26–28 in). Both male and female are a fairly uniform chocolate-brown above, with rufous flanks and white undersides (which are often not visible if the duck is in the water). The trailing edges and almost the entire underside of the wings are white. In the male, the eyes are a striking white, in the female, brown.
Hardheads are common in the south-east of Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin, but also in the wetter country near the coasts. They are moderately nomadic... Wikipedia →
Call0:08
Australia · 2016
© Andrew Spencer · XC311775 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | ABQ BioPark Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 11 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 12 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-eyed Duck sighting in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 84 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-eyed Duck in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May–June and September–December, the lowest months. That is one of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 65 mm in January.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-eyed Duck sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 9 parks where we can rate White-eyed Duck sightings, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-eyed Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (16 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.
