Naming
The genus name ''Tadorna'' comes from Celtic roots and means "pied waterfowl", essentially the same as the English "shelduck".Reproduction
Paradise shelducks form long-term pair bonds, often lasting for life, and defend territories. They have a long breeding season, lasting from August through December. They reach sexual maturity after two years, and build nests lined with grass and feathers hidden in high grass, inside hollow trees, on branches of habitable trees , or beneath rotting logs. The mean clutch size is around nine eggs. Chicks fledge after eight weeks.Evolution
Before Europeans settled in New Zealand the Māori hunted paradise shelducks in favoured districts. Hunting was done outside the breeding season when the birds were molting and could not fly. During the breeding season hunting them was forbidden. This conservation and selective hunting system ensured good supplies of food.Paradise shelducks were uncommon prior to European settlement, however changes to habitat caused by the conversion of forest to pasture, and the deliberate provisioning on ponds by hunting groups, has led to a large increase in the numbers of these ducks.
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