New Zealand Scaup

The New Zealand scaup, known to the Māori as pāpango and also referred to as the black teal, is a diving duck endemic to the verdant lands of New Zealand. This compact bird, with its round body and dark plumage, is a sight to behold. Males typically weigh about 695 grams and females slightly less at around 610 grams, with both sexes measuring approximately 40 centimeters in length. Their aquatic lifestyle is supported by black legs and webbed feet, making them adept swimmers and divers.

Identification Tips

Distinguishing between the sexes of the New Zealand scaup is straightforward. The male boasts a dark black-brown plumage with a greenish tinge on the head and a striking yellow eye, while the female is adorned with a more subdued chocolate brown plumage and brown eyes, featuring a white face patch during the breeding season. In flight, both sexes reveal a white wing bar, and their bills are a uniform grey. The young are cloaked in pale brown and white down, and juveniles resemble the female but lack the white at the base of the bill. The male's call is a high-pitched whistle, contrasting with the female's quack.

Habitat

These birds grace the deep freshwater lakes and ponds across New Zealand, including both natural and man-made bodies of water such as hydroelectric lakes and oxidation ponds.

Distribution

The New Zealand scaup is found throughout the North and South Islands, with a patchy distribution favoring areas like Northland, the upper Waikato, Rotorua, Taupō, Hawke's Bay, West Coast, North Canterbury, and the Southern Alps. They are non-migratory but may relocate to open waters when high country lakes freeze over in winter.

Behaviour

In the cooler months of autumn and winter, the New Zealand scaup gathers in flocks, sometimes numbering over 200 individuals. These gatherings are often observed at traditional moulting and wintering sites, such as Lake Rotorua and Lake Taupō.

Breeding

Come September, the scaups disperse from their winter flocks, with males becoming territorial. Nesting occurs in dense vegetation near water, with nests made of grass and lined with down. Clutch sizes range from 2 to 15 creamy-white eggs, with 6 to 8 being most common. The female incubates the eggs for about 30 days, and the ducklings are capable of diving almost immediately after hatching. The fledging period lasts around 75 days, during which the female diligently guards her brood.

Feeding

The New Zealand scaup is a proficient diver, plunging into the depths in search of aquatic plants, small fish, water snails, mussels, and insects. They have been known to dive to at least 3 meters and can remain submerged for up to a minute.

Conservation status

Historically, the population of the New Zealand scaup declined due to habitat destruction, predation, and hunting. However, since receiving full protection in 1934, their numbers have been on the rise, particularly in areas where predator control and suitable habitats have been established. The population was estimated to be around 20,000 in the 1990s and is believed to have increased since then.