Auckland Islands Merganser - BirdForum Opus

The species Auckland Islands Merganser is extinct.

Extinct species
Photo by Chlidonias
Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New Zealand

Alternative name: New Zealand Merganser

Mergus australis

Identification

• Dark reddish-brown head, crest and neck
• Blue black mantle and tail
• Slate grey wings
• Yellowish orange bill
• Dark brown iris
• Orange feet, webs, joints and soles
  

The female was slightly smaller with a shorter crest.

Distribution

Auckland Islands of New Zealand.
Fossil records have shown that the species was once widespread in New Zealand.
The last specimen was collected in 1902 (Birdlife International, 2007).

Taxonomy

Monotypic^[1]

Habitat

Freshwater, inland streams, and estuaries.

Behaviour

The diet included fish.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. BirdLife International (2007) Species factsheet: Mergus australis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 18/2/2008.
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Auckland Islands Merganser. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Auckland_Islands_Merganser

External Links

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