The ecology of wild ducks in inland New South Wales. II. Movements

Abstract

Observational and banding data show that during 1957, a year of drought, a great movement of wild ducks from inland Australia to the coast took place. With continuing drought many of the coastal concentrations again dispersed, the birds flying widely over the interior of the continent, apparently in a search for a suitable habitat. It is shown that the grey teal, Anas gibberifrons Miiller, was very much more mobile than the black duck, Anus superciliosa Gmelin, and that the wood-duck, Chenonetta jubata (Latham), Tvas rather local in its habits. The ecological significance of the different mobility of those species is discussed.