Australian wood duck
Chenonetta jubata
The most commonly sighted water bird in Whiteman Park are the maned geese, or Australian wood ducks.
You will often sight mated pairs and even family groups wandering the Village lawns, foraging on the grasses and occasional insect.
Males and females are easily distinguished from one another. The males have dark brown heads, solid light grey bodies and a flash of green amongst the black underwing and tail, while the females have a paler brown head and a speckled breast and underbody.
Wood ducks, or yerdarap, are monogamous and stay together year-round. Like many of the Park’s fauna species, they nest in tree hollows from September to November. Nesting as they do at height, hatchlings must jump out of the nest to follow their parents to water and feeding sites which can cause quite a stir if you haven’t seen this spectacle before! These proud parents will look after their young until a month after they have fledged.
FAUNA PROFILE
| Family | Anatidae |
| Scientific name | Chenonetta jubata |
| Noongar name | yerdarap |
| Common name | maned duck, Australian wood duck, maned goose |
| Conservation status | Least Concern |
| Habitat | grasslands, open woodlands, wetlands |
| Park occurrence | residents |