Australia & Oceania

Blue duck

Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos

The Blue duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) is a bird found in New Zealand. Fast, clear mountain rivers in New Zealand. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and leaves and other plant parts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Endangered.

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Scientific name	Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos
Region	Australia & Oceania
Found in	New Zealand

🏡 Where the Blue duck lives

Fast, clear mountain rivers in New Zealand.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs80%
🌿 Leaves & plants20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

EndangeredVery few are left in the wild.

💡 It is called whio, after its whistle call. It lives in rushing rivers.

Questions about the Blue duck

Where does the Blue duck live?

The Blue duck lives in New Zealand. Fast, clear mountain rivers in New Zealand.

What does the Blue duck eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 80%), leaves and other plant parts (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Blue duck endangered?

Very few are left in the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Endangered.

More birds from Australia & Oceania

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.