Jan 27

Bird of the day

Pink-eared duck

Malacorhynchus membranaceus

The pink-eared duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) is a species of duck found in Australia.

The pink-eared duck has a large spatulate bill like the Australasian shoveler, but is smaller at 38–40 cm length. Its brown back and crown, black and white barred sides and black eye patches on its otherwise white face make this bird unmistakable. Juveniles are slightly duller, but otherwise all plumages are similar. Its vernacular name refers to a pink spot in the corner formed by the black head pattern; it is only noticeable at close distance however, making the origin of the seldom-used Australian name of zebra duck more readily apparent.

Aliases

Malacorhynchus membranaceus

Range

Range map of Pink-eared duck