Whio – the blue duck

In this activity, students are given an opportunity to share what they know about the whio. Two methods of eliciting prior knowledge are modelled, whio bingo...

The conservation status of many New Zealand ducks is not ideal. At least seven native New Zealand duck species are extinct, and several are still endangered....

New Zealand is home to a wide variety of water birds, including many species of ducks. Most of these are endemic, but some have been introduced...

New Zealand is home to a wide variety of water fowl. Water fowl is the common name for the Anatidae, the family of birds that includes...

In this recorded professional learning session, Shanthie Walker from DOC and Lyn Rogers continue to explore why the whio/blue duck is so important to New Zealand...

New Zealand separated from Gondwana around 65 million years ago. Due to the geographical isolation and a lack of ground-dwelling predators, our birds evolved unique characteristics....

Whio/blue ducks were once commonly found on rivers and streams throughout mainland New Zealand. However, the populations are now severely restricted and isolated from each other....

The whio/blue duck is one of New Zealand’s rarest and most endangered endemic ducks in mainland New Zealand. It is an iconic species and appears on...

The conservation status of many New Zealand ducks is not ideal. At least seven native New Zealand duck species are extinct, and several are still endangered....