>Dendrocygna viduata (White-faced Whistling Duck)

White-faced Whistling Duck

White-faced Whistling Duck
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Dendrocygninae
Genus:	Dendrocygna
Species:	D. viduata
Binomial name
Dendrocygna viduata (Linnaeus, 1766)

The White-faced Whistling Duck ( Dendrocygna viduata) is a whistling duck which breeds in sub-Saharan Africa and much of South America.

This species is gregarious, and at favoured sites, the flocks of a thousand or more birds arriving at dawn are an impressive sight. As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a clear three-note whistling call.

Description

This species has a long grey bill, long head and longish legs. It has a white face and crown, and black rear head. The back and wings are dark brown to black, and the underparts are black, although the flanks have fine white barring. The neck is chestnut. All plumages are similar, except that juveniles have a much less contrasted head pattern.

Range and habitat

The habitat is still freshwater lakes or reservoirs, with plentiful vegetation, where this duck feeds on seeds and other plant food.

Ecology

This is an abundant species. It is largely resident, apart from local movements which can be 100 km or more.

Breeding

It nests on a stick platform near the ground, and lays 8-12 eggs. Trees are occasionally used for nesting.

Conservation

The White-faced Whistling Duck is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Gallery

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  At the Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens
 
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  On one leg at the Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens
 
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  Emily Grainger, Sleeping peacefully at the Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens
 
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  At Jurong BirdPark
 
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  At Jurong BirdPark

>Dendrocygna javanica (Lesser Whistling Duck)

Lesser Whistling Duck

Lesser Whistling Duck
Lesser Whistling Duck (Santragachi Lake, India)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Dendrocygninae
Genus:	Dendrocygna
Species:	D. javanica
Binomial name
Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield, 1821)
Resident range in green and summer range in blue

The Lesser Whistling Duck ( Dendrocygna javanica) also known as Indian Whistling Duck orLesser Whistling Teal is a species of whistling duck that breeds in Asia. They are nocturnal feeders and during the day may be found in flocks around lakes and wet paddy fields. They can perch on trees and sometimes build their nest in the hollow of a tree. This brown and long-necked duck has broad wings that are visible in flight and produces a loud two-note wheezy call. It has a chestnut rump, differentiating it from its larger relative, the Fulvous Whistling Duck, which has creamy white.

 Description

Resting (Kolkata, India)

This chestnut brown duck is confusable only with the Fulvous Whistling Duck (D. bicolor) but has chestnut upper-tail coverts unlike the creamy white in the latter. When flying straight, their head is held below the level of the body as in other Dendrocygna species. The crown appears dark and the sexes are alike in plumage. They fly slowly but with rapid wing-flapping and usually produce a repetitive wheezy seasick call as they circle overhead. They are very nocturnal and often rest during the day. The outermost primary feather has the inner vane modified. This has been said to aid in producing a whistling sound in flight, although this has not been supported by field studies.

Distribution and habitat

Shape of the outermost primary, claimed to produce a whistle in flight

In flight the broad wings are distinctive

This is a largely resident species distributed unevenly on the plains from the lower river valleys of Pakistan east through India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore,Indonesia, south China to Vietnam. They also occur on islands in the region including the Andamans, Nicobars and Maldives. They sometimes make local movements in response to weather and changes in water availability and the more northern birds winter further south. They are found in freshwater wetlands with good vegetation cover and often rest during the day on the banks or even on the open sea in coastal areas. Downy chicks are black with a white eyebrow and white patches on the back of the head, the wing, lower back and rump. Albino individuals have been seen in the wild.

Large numbers are sometimes found in urban wetlands such as in Kolkata and Goa, particularly during winter. In the Alipore Zoological gardens, captive individuals were introduced in the 1930s and wild birds joined this nucleus subsequently.

With a wide distribution range between 1 to 10 million km², they are considered to have a secure global population of between two and twenty million individuals. They are not threatened by hunting as they are not considered good to eat. Hunters in Assam however have been known to raise the chicks to serve as live decoy.

Behaviour and ecology

A flock landing (Kolkata, India)

Lesser Whistling Duck are usually gregarious. They feed mainly on plants taken from the water as well as grains from cultivated rice apart from small fish, frogs and invertebrates such as molluscs and worms. They dabble as well as dive in water. They will often waddle on the land and Common Mynas have been noted to follow them on grass. Courtship involves the male facing the female and dipping and raising its bill in the water and swimming around the female. They breed during the monsoon or rainy season and may vary locally in relation to the food availability. The nest site may be a tree hole lined with twigs and grass or built in the fork of large tree, sometimes reusing and old nest of a kite or heron or even on the ground. The clutch varies from 7 to 12 white eggs that are incubated by both the parents. Large clutches of up to 17 have been noted although these may be indications of intraspecific brood parasitism. The eggs hatch after about 22-24 days. More than one brood may be raised in a single season.Young birds may sometimes be carried on the back of the parents.

Local names like sili and silhahi in India are based on their wheezy two-note calls. They become very tame in captivity, walking about and responding to whistles. Individuals in captivity in the USA have lived for up to 9 years.

Several endoparasitic cestodes including Hymenolepis javanensis and Cittotaenia sandgroundi have been described from Lesser Whistling Duck hosts apart from ectoparasitic bird lice and mites.

>Dendrocygna guttata (Spotted Whistling Duck)

Spotted Whistling Duck

Spotted Whistling Duck
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Dendrocygninae
Genus:	Dendrocygna
Species:	D. guttata
Binomial name
Dendrocygna guttata Schlegel, 1866

The Spotted Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna guttata is a member of the duck family Anatidae.

Its range is the Philippines south through central Indonesia to New Guinea. It has recently colonised Australia, with a small population now resident at Weipa on the western coast of Cape York Peninsula.

>Dendrocygna eytoni (Plumed Whistling Duck)

Plumed Whistling Duck

Plumed Whistling Duck
At Australia Zoo
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Dendrocygninae
Genus:	Dendrocygna
Species:	D. eytoni
Binomial name
Dendrocygna eytoni Eyton, 1838

The Plumed Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni), also called the Grass Whistle Duck , is a whistling duck which breeds in New Guinea and Australia. It is a predominantly brown-coloured duck with a long neck and characteristic plumes arising from its flanks. The sexes are similar in appearance.

Plumed Whistling-Ducks often roost in huge flocks

[edit]Taxonomy

Described by English naturalist Thomas Campbell Eyton in 1838, its specific epithet honours its namer. Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek terms dendron"tree", and kuknos (via Latin cygnus) "swan". Alternate common names include; Eyton's Plumed, Red-legged or Whistling Tree-duck, and Grey or Red-legged Whistler

Description

Measuring 42–60 cm (16.5–24 in) and weighing around a kilogram, it is a long-necked duck with brown upperparts, paler underparts and a white rump. The chest is chestnut with thin black bars, while long black-margined plumes arise from its flanks. Its bill and legs are pink, and its iris is yellow. The male and female are similar in appearance. The species has a characteristic lowered neck and short, dark, rounded wings while flying.

The call is a characteristic whistle which gives the bird its common name.

Swimming

Distribution and habitat

Plumed Whistling Duck

The range is eastern, northern and central Australia from the Kimberley across the Top End and Cape York, down to southern Queensland and northern New South Wales on the east coast, although may reach northwestern Victoria inland, in the vicinity of the Murray River. It is also found in New Guinea. The preferred habitat is tall grassland and savanna, often near bodies of water.

Feeding

Rather than diving for food in bodies of water like other ducks, the Plumed Whistling Duck feeds by cropping grass on land.

Breeding

The Plumed Whistling Duck breeds during the wet season, generally in January to March, although it can be later in April or, in a few cases, May. One brood is raised per season. The nest is a mattress of grasses or similar material in tall grass, or in or near vegetation as cover. 10 to 12 oval eggs are laid, measuring 48 x 36 mm; 14 or more have been recorded on occasion. Initially shiny and creamy-coloured, they may become stained. The incubation period is around 30 days.

>Dendrocygna bicolor (Fulvous Whistling Duck)

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Fulvous Whistling Duck
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Dendrocygninae
Genus:	Dendrocygna
Species:	D. bicolor
Binomial name
Dendrocygna bicolor (Vieillot, 1816)

The Fulvous Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna bicolor, is a whistling duck which breeds across the world's tropical regions in much of Central and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Gulf Coast of the United States.

The Fulvous Whistling Duck is a common but wary species. It is largely resident, apart from local movements, but vagrancy has occurred to southern Europe. It nests on a stick platform in reeds, laying 8–12 eggs, but hollow trees or old bird nests are occasionally used for nesting.

Its habitat is freshwater lakes, paddy fields or reservoirs with plentiful vegetation, where this duck feeds mainly at night on seeds and other parts of plants..

The Fulvous Whistling Duck is 48–53 cm (19–21 in) long. It has a long grey bill, long head and longish legs, buff head and underparts, the latter reddish-tinged on the flanks, a dark crown, and dark grey back and wings. The tail and wing patches are chestnut, and there is a white crescent on the upper tail which is visible in flight.

All plumages are similar, except that juveniles have less contrasted flank and tail colouration.

This species is gregarious, and at favoured sites substantial flocks can form. As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a clear whistlingkee-wee-ooo call.

The Fulvous Whistling Duck is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

>Dendrocygna arborea (West Indian Whistling Duck)

West Indian Whistling Duck

West Indian Whistling Duck
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Dendrocygninae
Genus:	Dendrocygna
Species:	D. arborea
Binomial name
Dendrocygna arborea (Linnaeus, 1758)

The West Indian Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna arborea, is a whistling duck which breeds in the Caribbean. Alternative names are Black-billed Whistling Duck and Cuban Whistling Duck.

The West Indian Whistling Duck is widely scattered throughout the West Indies including a large breeding population in the Bahamas, and smaller numbers in Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Jamaica. It is largely sedentary, apart from local movements which can be 100 km or more. Nests have been reported in tree cavities, on branches, in clumps of bromeliads, and on the ground under thatch palms and other dense bushes. The usual clutch size is 10-16 eggs. It habitually perches in trees, which gives rise to its specific name.

The birds are mostly nocturnal and secretive, inhabiting wooded swamps and mangroves, where this duck roosts and feeds on plant food including the fruit of the Royal Palm.

The West Indian Whistling Duck is the largest (48-58 cm) and darkest of its genus. It has a long black bill, long head and longish legs. It has a pale foreneck and light brown face. The crown, back, breast and wings are dark brown to black, and the rest of the underparts are white with heavy black markings.

All plumages are similar, except that juveniles are duller and have a less contrasted belly pattern.

Threats

The West Indian Whistling Duck has suffered extensive hunting for its eggs and for sport. Wetlands are a very limited habitat in the Caribbean, with continuing conversion for development and agriculture. More than 50% of remaining wetlands are seriously degraded by the cutting of mangroves and swamp-forest, pollution (especially over-use of pesticides1) and natural catastrophes such as droughts and hurricanes.Predation is inadequately documented but may be a factor.

Current conservation measures

CITES Appendix II. CMS Appendix II. It is legally protected throughout much of its range, but law enforcement is inadequate. N. L. Staus(1997) The West Indian Whistling Duck Working Group initiated a conservation programme in 1997. L. G. Sorenson (1997) There are several protected areas in the region but, in general, suitable habitat, especially wetlands, is under-represented. N. L. Staus (1997) Ducks are predated on Antigua by the mongoose introduced to control the cane rats which was largely unsuccessful as the rats live in trees

Proposed conservation measures

Conduct extensive surveys to assess numbers and distribution; assist local authorities in establishing a long-term monitoring programme; conserve key sites; enforce legal protection; initiate public education and awareness programmes. Staus (1997)

Gallery

West Indian Whistling Ducks

West Indian whistling ducks with Jacana

>>Genus Dendrocygna (Whistling ducks)

Whistling duck

Whistling ducks
Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Birding Center, Port Aransas, Texas
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Dendrocygninae Reichenbach, 1853
Genus:	Dendrocygna Swainson, 1837
Species
Dendrocygna arborea Dendrocygna arcuata Dendrocygna autumnalis Dendrocygna bicolor Dendrocygna eytoni Dendrocygna guttata Dendrocygna javanica Dendrocygna viduata

The whistling ducks or tree ducks are a subfamily,  
Dendrocygninae of the duck, goose and swan family of birds,
Anatidae. In other taxonomical approaches, they are either considered a separate family "Dendrocygnidae", or a tribe "Dendrocygnini" in the goose subfamily Anserinae(e.g. Terres & NAS, 1991).

It contains only one genus, Dendrocygna, containing eight living species, and one known from hitherto undescribed subfossils from Aitutaki, Cook Islands (Steadman, 2006). These species have a worldwide distribution through the tropics and subtropics. These ducks have, as their name implies, distinctive whistling calls.

The whistling ducks have long legs and necks, and are very gregarious, flying to and from night-time roosts in large flocks. Both sexes have the same plumage, and all have a hunched appearance and black underwings in flight.

Species

• West Indian Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna arborea
• Wandering Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna arcuata
• Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna autumnalis
• Fulvous Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna bicolor
• Plumed Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna eytoni
• Spotted Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna guttata
• Lesser Whistling Duck, or Indian Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna javanica
• White-faced Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna viduata

Gallery

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  White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata
 
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  Black-bellied Whistling Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
 
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  West Indian Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arborea
 
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  Lesser Whistling-duckDendrocygna javanica