Look closer and you’ll see this isn’t a regular duck on the Reay Mackay Grove lakes. This colourful bird has a dark head and large dark bill, with a splash of white between the two. The body’s an almost luminous brown. They seem to hang out in groups. He aha tērā? What is that?
Answer: it’s a Kuruwhengi | Australasian Shoveler:
Identification: Length: 46 - 53 cm; Weight: 570 - 850 g (male); 545 - 745 g (female)
Similar species: Northern shoveler
A medium-sized dabbling duck with a large black spoon-shaped bill, yellow eyes and orange legs. Breeding plumage males have a blue-grey head and neck with a white crescent at the base of the bill, mottled brown and white breast, chestnut flanks, and a white patch at the tail base; females are mottled light brown with a dull brown bill and eyes, and brown-orange legs.
