Australian Wood Duck
Male bird, Torrens River Adelaide, March 2021.
The distinctive feature of these birds is their mottled brown-grey breasts. They do fly but are usually seen walking and their dark grey feet have claws for climbing trees. Both sexes have brown eyes.
Immature female bird, Adelaide Botanical Gardens, March 2021.
The females have a white line above and below the eye. Immature birds have lighter colours overall.
Adelaide Botanical Gardens, March 2021.
The back of the birds has a black striped appearance. The wings are grey with a white rear edge and iridescent green/black speculum (bright patch of plumage).
Adelaide Botanical Gardens, March 2021.
Compared to other ducks they have what I think is a quite short bill which is olive brown in colour.
Torrens River, Adelaide, March 2021.
They feed on grasses, herbs and the occasional insect. In the cities it appears they are often fed a less healthy diet by humans either intentionally or unintentionally.