The male is larger than the female and is mostly blackish, with a chestnut breast, white neck collar and dark green head. The female is similar, but has white around the eye. Both sexes show large white wing patches in flight.

The Australian Shelduck belongs to the same family as swans, geese and ducks. Both sexes produce a strange assortment of goose-like honks, grunts and whistles, the female’s vocalisations are higher in pitch.

The Australian Shelduck can live to about 15 years old, it's diet includes insects, seeds, and short grasses. Shelducks also search in shallow waters for aquatic invertebrates and submerged vegetation.

Before pairing up to mate the birds form large flocks of thousands of birds in a prime feeding or moulting location.

Shelducks nest in rock crevices, shallow caves, or holes and burrows made by other animals like rabbit burrows. The female will lay between 4 and 15 cream coloured eggs which she will incubate for 28-33 days while her mate defends the surrounding territory.

After only a few days the newly hatched chicks are led from the nest by their parents to the nursery water. This distance can be a mile or more! In the nursery there are several young from other parents together under the care of one or more adults. The nursery group varies in size and age range and the number of individuals usually between 20-40, but some groups of 100 have been recorded.

Scientists believe their populations may have increased in recent years due to the development of irrigation in agriculture and the construction of new water impoundments, both provide more food and more habitat for this specific species.