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Warringal Conservation Society

The Freckled Duck (Stictonetta naevosa) is the rarest duck in Australia and an occasional visitor to Banyule Swamp. They are a large brown/grey duck with a beautiful regular pattern of fine white spots. They have a small peak on the back of their head and a flattened upturned bill. The bill of adult males has a red base during the summer breeding season. Freckled Ducks breed on inland waterways and then disperse to more permanent water bodies closer to the coast, including Banyule Swamp. There were three Freckled Ducks at Banyule Swamp for several days in November 2019 and a couple have been reported in the last few weeks (February 2020). The Freckled Duck is listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act. Threats to the Freckled Duck include an increasingly dry climate and illegal hunting.