Australia & Oceania

Hardhead

Aythya australis

The Hardhead (Aythya australis) is a bird found in Australia. Lakes and wetlands across Australia. It eats leaves and other plant parts, seeds and nuts and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Aythya australis
Region	Australia & Oceania
Found in	Australia

🏡 Where the Hardhead lives

Lakes and wetlands across Australia.

🍽️ What it eats

🌿 Leaves & plants70%
🌰 Seeds & nuts20%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%

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

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It is the only true diving duck in Australia.

Questions about the Hardhead

Where does the Hardhead live?

The Hardhead lives in Australia. Lakes and wetlands across Australia.

What does the Hardhead eat?

leaves and other plant parts (about 70%), seeds and nuts (about 20%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Hardhead endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

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.