Hardhead at the Ponds

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Alice Springs Waste Stabilisation Ponds

The Hardhead (Aythya australis), also commonly known as the White-eyed Duck, is the only true diving duck found in Australia.

Smaller than most ducks, the Hardheads are between 45 cm to 60 cm long. They have a noticeably more rounded overall form to other ducks. Both the male and female are a uniform chocolate-brown above, with rufous flanks and white undersides. The trailing edges and almost the entire underside of the wings are white, that are obvious when in flight. It is the male Hardhead that has the white eyes, whilst the female eyes are brown.

Hardheads feed by diving under the water (with bareley a ripple), and can stay submerged for up to a minute at a time. The Hardheads eat small aquatic creatures, and supplement this with water weeds.

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
• Informal: Gnathostomata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Anseriformes
• Family: Anatidae
• Subfamily: Anatinae
• Genus: Aythya
• Subgenus: Aythya (Nyroca)
• Species: Aythya australis

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