Musk Duck

One of our strangest ducks, the Musk Duck is endemic to Australia. It is probably our largest Duck. As its name suggests, particularly during the breeding season, the male emits an odour.

Musk Ducks swim low in the water and they can dive deep to feed on aquatic life on the bottom of fresh and saline water bodies. 

 

The male has a strange courtship display – it raises its lobed tail over its back, prominently displays its bill flap, kicks up sprays of water with is feet, rotates in circles and makes a whistling noise – external video LINK (Vimeo). 

The musk is almost completely aquatic, rarely taking to land. Like most ducks, it can fly large distances, generally overnight and particularly during drought. 

Musk Ducks are listed as vulnerable in Victoria. They are widely spread through southern Queensland, new South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, eastern South Australia and south-west Western Australia