Black ducks are found throughout Australia but seldom in inland deserts. In southern Australia, they usually breed around July-October, in the tropics January-April and in inland areas when rivers flood and aquatic plants are fully grown. They are probably the most numerous ducks in Australia, virtually every stream, lagoon, dam, or swamp in the country has some black ducks.
Feeding on aquatic plants and also emergent plants and growth and their seeds along the waters edge. Plant material accounts for about ¾ of their diet – barnyard and millet, water couch, summer grass and even cultivated rice are all important parts of their diet. They also eat a diverse range of live food such as aquatic insects and small invertebrates.
They produce from seven to thirteen eggs, eight to ten being the usual number. Whilst they can invade rice fields in large numbers on occasion, they are not generally considered an agricultural pest. It is Australia’s most popular game bird.
Black ducks are repelled using our the newly developed device, the Super Pro X or our Marine Pro which is basically a junior version of the Super Pro X. The Super Pro X is a superior unit using 9 varieties of bird distress calls as well as 9 combinations of distress and harassment sounds. Black ducks are hard to repel and we recommend the use of the Bird Gard Kite in conjunction with the Super Pro X.
The other highly successful device is the Bird Gard Laser. This a hand- held laser device with a range of up to 600m is an instant success on black ducks in low-light conditions (late afternoons to early morning). It is highly recommended for aquaculture or rice growing.
Steve
We have 2 black ducks ( Anas Superciliosa ) coming to feed regularly in our garden in Kirby Cross (Essex) is this unusual