The duck bones that dominate bird remains in the St Bathans Fauna included two humeri assigned to a new genus and species of duck. The genus name is derived from the name of the creek (Mata) alongside the fossil deposit where the bones were found, combined with Anas (a duck). The species is named after Jack Enright, the owner of the station where the fossil deposit is located.

The named St Bathans Fauna waterfowl species (which included five duck species and a shelduck) have mainly been defined based on the size and form of their humeri (upper wing bones). Enright’s duck was described from two humeri and a single coracoid (the latter speculatively assigned to this species), all from 19-16 million-year-old (Early Miocene) lake-bed deposits near the Manuherikia River, St Bathans, central Otago. The holotype (NMNZ S.42281, a nearly complete left humerus), paratype (NMNZ S.42704, a distal right humerus) and (left) coracoid (NMNZ S.42312) are held at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Subsequent finds combined with these were considered to represent a minimum of five individual birds.

Enright’s duck was similar in size to a blue duck, and may have been related to wood ducks (Chenonetta).

References

Worthy, T.H.; Lee, M.S.Y. 2008. Affinities of Miocene waterfowl (Anatidae: Manukerikia, Dunstanetta and Miotadorna) from the St Bathans Fauna, New Zealand. Palaeontology 51: 677-708.

Worthy, T.H.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Jones, C.; McNamara, J.A.; Douglas, B.J. 2007. Miocene waterfowl and other birds from central Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 5: 1-39.

Recommended citation

Miskelly, C.M. 2013. Enright’s duck. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz