These wild ducks caught my attention when I was at the Singapore Botanic Gardens yesterday. There were three of them, all with the same color markings. The head, neck, and under parts are white whilst their wings and a band across their breast are black. The secondary feathers are metallic green with white tips. Legs, feet and bill are light pink.
Thanks to Ms Jacqueline Lau (ecologist and nature photographer cum nature guide) for ID-ing them as "Tadorna radjahs". They are also commonly known as White-headed Shelducks or Black-backed Radjah Shelducks.
Tadorna radjahs are definitely not native to Singapore. They are mainly found around the coast of New Guinea and on the Moluccan Islands, the Aru Islands in western Papua, and on Fergusson Island. These birds prefer marshes, lagoons and swamps of shallow brackish or saline water. Both sexes are vocal, even when flying. Females sound like a harsh rattle, males sound like a hoarse whistle.
Radjah ducks feed mostly at night by grazing in pastures or by dabbling in the water. They eat mollusks, insects, sedge materials, and algae.
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