• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
E subspecies menziesi sometimes considered of dubious validity; recent genetic study, however, suggests that the two discrete populations diverged near end of Pleistocene, and this, combined with difference in display call, indicates that the two merit at least subspecific differentiation (Guay et al. 2010). Two subspecies recognized.

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2024	Least Concern
2016	Least Concern
2012	Least Concern
2009	Least Concern
2008	Least Concern
2004	Least Concern
2000	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994	Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988	Lower Risk/Least Concern

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	6,140,000 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	20000-49999 mature individuals	poor	suspected	2024
Population trend	decreasing	-	suspected	-
Generation length	9.1 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The population is estimated to number 10,000-60,000 individuals, with a mean estimate of approximately 35,000 individuals, which roughly equates to 23,300 mature individuals (Wetlands International 2023). considering the age and high level of uncertainty of the source data, the population size is therefore placed with the band of 20,000-49,999 mature individuals. The population is declining owing to transformation and modification of freshwater habitats and, occasionally, drowning in fishing nets (del Hoyo et al. 1992).

Trend justification: The population is declining owing to transformation and modification of freshwater habitats and, occasionally, drowning in fishing nets (del Hoyo et al. 1992).

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Australia	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Australia	Gippsland Lakes
Australia	Kangaroo Island
Australia	Lake Corangamite Complex
Australia	Lake Warden System
Australia	Watervalley Wetlands
Australia	Werribee and Avalon
Australia	Yalgorup

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	Coastal Freshwater Lakes	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Estuaries	suitable	non-breeding
Wetlands (inland)	Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands	major	resident
Wetlands (inland)	Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)	major	resident
Altitude	0 - 1200 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Future		Whole (>90%)		Unknown		Unknown
		Stresses Indirect ecosystem effects, Ecosystem degradation

Purpose	Scale
Food - human	subsistence, national
Pets/display animals, horticulture	international

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Musk Duck Biziura lobata. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/musk-duck-biziura-lobata on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.