Blue Duck
Photo: Sebastian Doak · CC BY 4.0

Ducks, Swans, and Geese

Blue Duck

Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos

ENEndangered Endemic to New Zealand
Family
Ducks, Swans, and Geese (Anatidae)
Order
Anseriformes

Overview

The blue duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) or whio is a member of the duck, goose and swan family, Anatidae and is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only individual species belonging to the genus Hymenolaimus. Its closest relatives are the ducks in the genus Sarkidiornis.
First seen and recorded by the British explorer, James Cook in his second voyage to New Zealand, its scientific name was given by the German naturalist, Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789 and later George Robert Gray in 1843.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.