Birding-Aussers:
I've been struck by the similarity between eclipse male Northern Shovelers
and alternate male Australasian Shovelers, but the colors of the former are
not as well-developed.
Males of Northern Pintail leave North American nesting areas May-Jun on molt
migration with other males to locations where they molt to eclipse plumage
and then to alternate (they are briefly flightless). However molt migration
can be extensive, and it seems possible that the males in Australia are molt
migrants, especially as the records are primarily in the Aug time frame,
rather early for general migration of alternate-plumaged males.
However Northern Shoveler males, while they also undergo molt migration,
tend not to move very far. They gather in groups during the flightless molt
period as do pintails, then resume southerly migration when joined by the
females and young of the year.
For my 2c worth, it seems more likely that pintails would appear in Aug in
Australia than N Shovelers, although both are regular as far as Hawaii.
There seem to be far fewer captive North American ducks in Australia than in
the US (obviously?) and those that are there appear to be better monitored
than in the US.
Ross
Ross
Ross Silcock
Tabor, IA
New Zealand Land and Pelagic Trips
<http://sidney.heartland.net/silcock>
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