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Darwin's species
Tadorna variegata
SUMMARY
The Paradise Shelduck is the only shelduck native to New Zealand. Cited
by Darwin in the Descent of Man as an acknowledged counter-example to
the pattern that the male is usually the modified sex of a species
through the mechanism of sexual selection, this species is unique in
that the juvenile birds' plumage is more similar to that of the male
than to that of the female (Darwin 1871). A
flamboyantly colored duck, the female is also brightly colored in
comparison to the male. Females have a bright white head and
chestnut-red body as opposed to the males' black head feathering and
charcoal grey body. Their delicious meat and bright coloring make them
popular targets for hunters on the islands, and they are currently
managed successfully as a game species. They are also a highly vocal
species with the females and males having distinct honks (New Zealand
Dept. of Conservation).