Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Hawksbury duck (Anas jubata); Australian wood duck (Chenonetta jubata), 1790s

Hawksbury duck (Anas jubata); Australian wood duck (Chenonetta jubata), 1790s

TAL & Dai-ichi Life Derby Collection, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW; Purchased from The Rt Hon. The 19th Earl of Derby, 2011; PXD 1098, vol. 4, f. 89

Watercolour

The Freckled duck is distinguished by white or pale brown speckled markings and inhabits areas of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment.
In Aboriginal mythology, the platypus originated when a male water rat mated with a female duck.
A male duck is called a ‘drake’. A group of ducks is known as a ‘brace’ or ‘flock’ when in flight and a ‘raft’ on water.
Very few ducks actually ‘quack’. Instead their calls sound more like a squeak, grunt, whistle or growl.
All types of ducks are part of the bird family Anatidae. There are species of ducks found worldwide on every continent except Antarctica.
Duck River joins the Parramatta River and is named for the abundance of ducks in the area.