Ecology and Status
This species prefers deep, still lakes and wetlands with areas of both open water and reed beds. They seldom emerge from the water and are awkward on dry land. They rarely fly: take off is made with difficulty, and landing is a clumsy, low-angled affair with no attempt to lower the feet. However, at need Musk Ducks fly swiftly and for long distances, with rapid, shallow wing beats.
In the water, Musk Ducks display an effortless agility, twisting and turning on the surface with both feet and tail. In general, Musk Ducks remain in the water all day long, alternately loafing and feeding energetically, though they sometimes emerge to sit on a log or on dry land for a while. They stay on the water at night, sleeping well out from land with the head tucked into the body or under a wing.
Musk Ducks are very much at home below the surface, slipping under head-first with barely a ripple, and staying submerged for as long as a minute at a time, often resurfacing only for a few moments before diving again. They dive to escape predators or unwanted company, and to search for food, typically in fairly deep water. They can descend to at least 6 metres (about 20 feet). The primary diet items are water beetles, yabbies, water snails, freshwater shellfish, and the like, supplemented with a variety of aquatic plants and a few fish.
When not breeding, adults are generally solitary. Adult males hold and defend territories, excluding other males and quite often females too. Younger birds – juveniles and unmated adults – form flocks on larger bodies of water at some times of year. It is not known at what age they reach sexual maturity in the wild, but it may take several years. They are a long-lived species and are still capable of breeding when 20 years old or more.
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