Corella,2007, 31(1): 13-14 A NEWRECORD FOR THE LONGEST BANDING RECOVERYDISTANCE lN MUSK DUCKSBiziura lobata P.-J.GUAY Departmentof Zoology, University of Melbourne,Victoria,3010, Australia E-mail: [email protected] Received: 3 October 2006 INTRODUCTION Wendoureein Ballarat (37'33'5, 14349' E) with metal bands.Eleven ducks were also fitted with a colour band to Historically, there has been much debateas to whether allow recognition of individuals to perform behavioural Musk Ducks Biziura lobata are flightless. Ramsey (1867) observations. "They Since then the water level in Lake Wendouree states that seldom take wing; only upon a few has steadily decreasedand the Musk Duck population has occasionshave I seenthem do so, and thesewhen they have diminished.The lake is now drv and all of the Musk Ducks been fired at and wounded mortally". Campbell (1901) havedispersed. reportsthe following correspondencehe receivedsuggesting "I that Musk Ducksare incapable of flight: neversaw one fly, On 21 February 2006 while performing behavioural "Musk and the native tell me they neverfly"; Ducks can no observationsat the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee more be said to actually fly than, say, flying-fish". (WTP; 38'00'5, 144"38' E), a female Musk Duck banded "I, Conversely,one correspondentreported, as an old with a metal bandon the right leg and an orangeband on the bushman,was of opinion that they could [fly]; otherwiseit left leg was sightedby the author on one of the treatment seemsto me unaccountablehow they could suddenlyarrive at ponds.The combinationof metaland colour band was unique swamp,etc., up country, newly-filled or filling by the first and the band numberwas inferredfrom that information. rains". Campbell(1901) also reportsthat Musk Ducks have been shot on the wing in a few instancesand presentsthe That female was banded on Lake Wendoureeon 12 following interestingcomment from a man from Queensland: December2003. The recoverytime was 2 years,2 months, "We havea small steamlaunch here, [...], and go out for and l5 daysand, more interestingly,the distancebetween the moonlight excursions,and when we came to the part where two sightingsis 86 kilometres,which constitutesa recordfor Musk Ducks congregated,as the launch came up to them, the longestrecorded recovery distance for a Musk Duck. they used to get up and fly, whereasin the daytime they would merely flutter along the top and dive". Campbell DISCUSSION thereforeconcludes that Musk Ducks can flv. althoush thev Only four other recoveryrecords exist for Musk Ducks. do so mainlyat night. Three of them are birds banded and recoveredon Lake It is now clear that Musk Ducks can fly: a first hand Wendoureein Ballarat (ABBBS 2006). The only other account of Musk Ducks taking flight has been described recorded long distance movement for Musk Duck comes (Dickison 1962; Frith 1967) and numerous extra-limital from a bird banded at Herdsman Lake, Perth (31"56'5, 115"47' E), and recoveredin Mandurah (32"32'5, records have been noted in Queenslandand Western Estuary Australia.Brisbane and SharkBay areat the northernedge of 175"42'E; distanceof 68 km). Although HerdsmandLake is their easternand westerndistribution respectively, but Musk not connectedto MandurahBay by waterways,which clearly Ducks have been recorded in Broome, WA and Northern impliesthe bird had to fly, the duck could haveswum most of Queensfand(P. Collins pers. comm.; Barrett et al. 2003; the way. HerdsmanLake is situatedclose to the Swan River Marchant and Higgins 1990). Musk Ducks seem to be (5.5 km) and the ocean(4.5 km). The Musk Duck could sedentaryon permanentwetlands, but can disperseto thereforehave flown to the oceanor Swan River and then coloniseinland waterbodies like Lake Eyre after rains (Frith swamover the courseof sevenmonths to MandurahEstuary. 1967).A total of 8l Musk Ducks has been bandedro date Musk Ducks arefrequently observed displaying and foraging throughout Australia. Although available information in marinehabitat, on Port Philip Bay next to the WTP (pers. suggeststhat Musk Ducks can fly long distances,only one obs.).Musk Duckshave also been observed foraging in saline bandedMusk Duck has ever been recoveredat a site other environments at Kangaroo Island, South Australia, and than whereit was banded(ABBBS 2006). Encounter Bay, South Australia (Wood 1960; McCracken 1999). The recoveryfrom the WTP constitutesthe longest OBSERVATION recovery distance recorded for Musk Duck, but more importantly,implies flight, as thereare no watersconnecting During the 2003 breedingseason (August to December), Lake Wendoureeand the WTP. The female must. therefore. 3 | Musk Ducks were banded by the author on Lake haveflown from Ballaratto Werribee. 13 14 P-J.Guay: New Record for the Longest Banding Recovery Distance in MuckDucks Corella31(1): 13-14 The water level of Lake Wendouree has drastically REFERENCES decreasedsince 2003, when the Musk Duck female was 'Unpublished banded,and has now dried out. The Musk Duck population ABBBS (2006). recoverydata.' (The AustralianBird & Bat Banding Scheme, Department diminished with retreatingwater levels and all ducks have of the Environment and Heritage:Canberra). now disappeared. Prior to the lake level decrease, Musk Barrett,G., Silcocks,A., Bany, S., Cunningham,R. and Poulter,R. 'The Ducks seemedto be quite sedentaryin Ballarat. A female (2003). New Atlas of AustralianBirds.' (RoyalAustralasian bandedin 1991was resighted on the lake more than six years OrnithologistsUnion: HawthornEast). 'Nest later (ABBBS 2006). This banding recovery record is Campbell,A. i. (1901). andEggs of AustralianBirds, Including thereforethe first one to confirm, as Frith (1967) suggested, the Geographical Distribution of the Species and Popular that althoughthey can be quite sedentary,Musk Ducks can ObservationThereon.' (Pawson and Brailsfbrd: Sheffield). Dickison, D. I. (1962).Flight of the Musk Duck (Biziura lobata). disperseover long distancewhen local conditions become AustralianBird Watcherl: 233-234. unfavorable. Frith, H. J. (196'7).'Waterfowlin Australia.'(EasrWest Center Press: Honolulu). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 'Handbook Marchant,S. andHiggins, P. J. (1990). of Australian,New Zealandand Antarctic Birds. Vol. 1B: Pelicanto Ducks.' (Oxford This workwas part of a studyon themating system, ecology and UniversityPress : Melboume). phylogeographyof the Musk Ducks that was supportedby funds 'Systematics, McCracken,K. G. (1999). Ecology, providedby the AustralianBird StudyAssociation, the Melbourne and SocialBiology of the Musk Duck (Biziuralobata) of Australia.'PhD Thesis,The WaterCorporation, the Departmentof Zoologyof the Universityof School of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries,Louisiana Melbourne,the HollsworthWildlife ResearchEndowment, Birds State University,Baton Rouge, U.S.A. Australia, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Australian Ramsey,E. P.( I 867).Illustration of Australianoology. Ibis 3: 413,421. Geographic, Sigma Xi, the Norman Wettenhall Foundation and the M Wood, V. J. (1960). Recovery of a banded Giant Petrel. South A Ingram Trust. I would also like to thank Carol Hall and John AustralianOrnitholosist 23: 42. Gregurke for their help in the field..