The Hardhead is an Australian diving duck with a dark brown body and white belly.
It has a dark brown body, white belly, and dark bill with a white tip.
The Hardhead is an Australian diving duck. In November 2020, an aerial survey sampled 653 lakes, wetlands, and farm dams across Victoria; 635 contained water. Observers counted 441 Hardheads at the sampled sites. Researchers combined these counts with information about waterbodies across the state to estimate total abundance.
The design-based estimate was 55,300 birds, with a 95% confidence interval of 21,600–141,900. A separate statistical model estimated 54,400, with a 95% interval of 33,500–80,100. Glare and nearby vegetation affected the chance of seeing ducks from the air. Among the species assessed individually, Hardhead had the least precise design-based estimate.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Victoria's 2020 survey estimated 55,300 Hardheads by the design-based method (95% interval 21,600–141,900) and 54,400 by the model-based method (33,500–80,100).