Editing Blue duck (section)

== Taxonomy ==
[[James Cook|Captain James Cook]] saw the blue duck in [[Dusky Sound]], South Island, New Zealand, on his [[Second voyage of James Cook|second voyage]] to the south Pacific. In 1777 both Cook and the naturalist [[Georg Forster]] mentioned the blue duck in their separate accounts of the voyage.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Cook | first1=James | author1-link=James Cook | last2=Furneaux | first2=Tobias | author2-link=Tobias Furneaux | date=1777 | title=A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World : Performed in His Majesty's ships the Resolution and Adventure, in the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775 |volume=1 | location=London | publisher=W. Strahan and T. Cadell | edition=2nd | pages=[https://archive.org/details/b30413953_0001/page/72/mode/1up 72], [https://archive.org/details/b30413953_0001/page/97/mode/1up 97]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Forster | first=Georg | author-link=Georg Forster | date=1777 | title=A Voyage Round the World, in His Britannic Majesty's Sloop, Resolution, Commanded by Capt. James Cook, During the Years 1772, 3, 4, and 5 | volume=1 | location=London | publisher=B. White, P. Elmsly, G. Robinson | page=157 | url=https://archive.org/details/b30413849_0001/page/157/mode/1up}}</ref> A specimen was described in 1785 by the English ornithologist [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in his ''A General Synopsis of Birds''. Latham used the English name, the "soft-billed duck".<ref>{{cite book | last=Latham | first=John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1785 | title=A General Synopsis of Birds | volume=2, Part 2 | publisher=Printed for Leigh and Sotheby | location=London | page=522 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40079343 | access-date=1 July 2022 | archive-date=1 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701155958/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40079343 | url-status=live }}</ref> When in 1789 the German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] revised and expanded [[Carl Linnaeus]]'s ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' he included the blue duck and placed it with all the other ducks in the [[genus]] ''[[Anas]]''. He coined the [[binomial name]] ''Anas malacorhynchos'' and cited the earlier works.<ref>{{cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin | year=1789 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 2 | language=Latin | location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=526 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2656019 | access-date=1 July 2022 | archive-date=29 June 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629151751/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2656019 | url-status=live }}</ref> The blue duck is now the only species placed in the genus ''Hymenolaimus'' that was introduced specifically for the species by [[George Robert Gray]] in 1843.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Gray | first=George Robert | author-link=George Robert Gray | date=1843 | title=Some remarks on the soft-billed duck of Latham | journal=Annals and Magazine of Natural History | volume=11 | issue=71 | pages=369–372 [370] | doi=10.1080/03745484309445317 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2287123 | access-date=1 July 2022 | archive-date=20 June 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620165014/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2287123 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web | editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2022 | title=Screamers, ducks, geese & swans | work=IOC World Bird List Version 12.1 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/waterfowl/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=1 July 2022 | archive-date=1 October 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001165500/http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/waterfowl/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The genus name combines the [[Ancient Greek]] ''humēn'', ''humenos'' meaning "skin" or "membrane" with ''laimos'' meaning "throat". The specific epithet ''malacorhynchos'' is also from Ancient Greek and combines ''malakos'' meaning "soft" with ''rhunkhos'' meaning "bill".<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n198/mode/1up 198], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n239/mode/1up 239]}}</ref>

The species has no close relatives.<ref>{{cite web |title=Habitat loss > Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos (blue duck, whio) > Taxonomy |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/biodiversity/loss-of-habitat/hymenolaimus-malacorhynchos/taxonomy/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814100421/http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/biodiversity/loss-of-habitat/hymenolaimus-malacorhynchos/taxonomy/index.html |archive-date=14 August 2014 |access-date=5 December 2014 |website=NHM.ac.uk |publisher=[[Natural History Museum, London]]}}</ref> Its taxonomic relationships with other waterfowl species remains uncertain; DNA analysis has placed it as a sister to the South American [[dabbling duck]]s (Anatini), but with no close relative. As of 2013, it was commonly listed as ''[[incertae sedis]]'' but likely within the [[Anatinae]] and allied to the [[Anatini]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Howard |first1=Richard |title=A complete checklist of the birds of the world |last2=Moore |first2=Alick |year=2013 |edition=4th}}</ref> It was formerly thought to be related to the [[shelduck]] tribe.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kear |first=J. |title=Bird families of the world: Ducks, geese and swans |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |location=Oxford}}</ref><ref name="Livezey">{{cite journal |author=Livezey, Bradley C. |year=1986 |title=A phylogenetic analysis of recent anseriform genera using morphological characters |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v103n04/p0737-p0754.pdf |journal=[[Auk (journal)|Auk]] |volume=103 |issue=4 |pages=737–754 |doi=10.1093/auk/103.4.737 |jstor=4087184 |access-date=29 May 2016 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217030730/https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v103n04/p0737-p0754.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is commonly known in [[New Zealand English]] by its [[Māori language|Māori]] name Whio, pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|f|i|ɔ:}} {{respell|FEE|oh}}, which is an [[onomatopoeic]] rendition of the males' call.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|author=Lindsey, Terence |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/776539108|title=Collins field guide to New Zealand wildlife|date=2011|publisher=HarperCollins|author2=Morris, Rod |isbn=978-1-86950-881-4 |location=Auckland |oclc=776539108}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Blue Duck|url=http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/blue-duck|access-date=26 September 2020|archive-date=30 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530180355/https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/blue-duck|url-status=live}}</ref>  Other names it may be known by are Mountain Duck or Blue Mountain Duck.<ref name=":2" />

Two [[subspecies]] are recognised:<ref name=ioc/>
* ''H. m. hymenolaimus'' [[Gregory Mathews|Mathews]], 1937 – central, south North Island (New Zealand)
* ''H. m. malacorhynchos'' (Gmelin, JF, 1789) – west South Island (New Zealand)

Prior to 2022, the North Island and South Island whio were considered distinct but were not distinguished as subspecies; they were, however, treated as separate management units.<ref>{{cite report |title=Broad-scale genetic population structure in blue duck Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos. Pilot study of mitochondrial genetic variation |last1=Robertson |first1=B. C. |last2=Paley |first2=R. |publisher=New Zealand Department of Conservation |volume=112 |pages=12 |last3=Gemmell |first3=N. J. |year=2003 |series=DOC Science Internal Series}}</ref> However, the populations were defined as distinct subspecies by the [[International Ornithologists' Union|International Ornithological Congress]] in 2022, based on strong genetic divergence and some plumage differences.<ref name=ioc/>