AMERICAN
PHEASANT AND WATERFOWL SOCIETY -
WATERFOWL PHOTO
GALLERY
UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
North
America's Waterfowl Population
Surveys
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American Wood
Ducks
Adult
Pair
Wood Duck public domain from
USFWS
This image or recording is
the work of an U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee,
taken or made during the course of an employee's official
duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image
is in the public domain. For more information, see the Fish
and Wildlife Service copyright policy.
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Common
Goldeneye
Drake Common Goldeneye at Slimbridge
Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire,
England.
Taken by Adrian Pingstone in January
2004 and released to the public domain.
Common Goldeneye
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
The Common
Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a medium sized sea duck of
the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Their closest relative
is the similar Barrow's goldeneye.
Adult males ranges from 45-52 cm
(18-21 inches) and from 888 to 1400 grams (1.9 to 3.1 lbs),
while females range from 40-50 cm (16-20 inches) and from
500 to 1182 grams (1.1 to 2.6 lbs). The species is aptly
named for its golden-yellow eye. Adult males have a dark
head with a greenish gloss and a circular white patch below
the eye, a dark back and a white neck and belly. Adult
females have a brown head and a mostly grey body. Their legs
and feet are orange-yellow.
Their breeding habitat is the taiga.
They are found in the lakes and rivers of boreal forests
across Canada and the northern United States, Scandinavia
and northern Russia . They are migratory and most winter in
protected coastal waters or open inland waters at more
temperate latitudes. Naturally, they nest in cavities in
large trees. They will readily use nestboxes, and this has
enabled a healthy breeding population to establish in
Scotland where they are increasing and slowly spreading with
the help of nestboxes. They are usually quite common in
winter around lakes of Britain and some are being encouraged
to nest in nestboxes which are put up to try and have them
there all year round.
Often the natural tree cavities are
made by broken limbs, unless they are made by pileated
woodpeckers or black woodpeckers, the only
tree-cavity-making animals who make a cavity large enough to
normally accommodate a goldeneye. Average egg size is a
breadth of 43.3 mm (1.7 inches), a length of 59.3 mm (2.3
inches) and a weight of 64 grams (2.3 oz). The incubation
period ranges from 28 to 32 days. The female does all the
incubating and is abandoned by the male about 1 to 2 weeks
into incubation. The young remain in the nest for about
24-36 hours. Brood parasitism is quite common both with
other common goldenyes as well as other duck species and
even tree swallow and European starling eggs have been found
mixed with goldeneye eggs! The broods commonly start to mix
with other females' broods as they become more independent.
Goldeneye young have been known to be competitively killed
by other goldeneye mothers, common loons and red-necked
grebes. The young are capable of flight at 55-65 days of
age.
These diving birds forage underwater.
Year-round, about 32% of their prey is crustaceans, 28% is
aquatic insects and 10% is molluscs. Insects are the
predominant prey while nesting and crustaceans are the
predominant prey during migration and winter. Locally, fish
eggs and aquatic plants can be important foods. They
themselves may fall prey to various hawks, owls and eagles,
while females and their broods have been preyed upon by
bears (Ursus spp.), various weasels (Mustela spp.), mink
(Mustela vison), raccoons (Procyon lotor) and even northern
flickers (Colaptes auratus) and red squirrels (Tamiasciurus
husonicus).
The common goldeneye is one of the
species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of
African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)
applies.
Approximately 188,300 common
goldeneyes were killed by duck hunters in North America
during the 1970s, representing about 4% of the total number
of ducks killed in the region during that
period[citation needed]. The rate is probably
similar today. Both the breeding and winter habitat of these
birds has been degraded by clearance and pollution. However,
this is the only duck in North America known to derive
short-term benefits from lake acidification.
Pair of Common
Goldeneyes
Pair of Common Goldeneyes (Bucephala
clangula) Taken at Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA
Image:Goldeneyepair.jpg
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
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Barrows Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye Male, displaying head plumage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica (male) at
Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands centre, Gloucestershire,
England. (The female has a yellow bill).
Photographed by Adrian Pingstone in January 2007 and
placed in the public domain.
This image has been released into the public domain by
its author, Arpingstone. This applies worldwide.
In some countries this may not be legally possible; if
so:Arpingstone grants anyone the right to use this work for
any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions
are required by law.
Barrow's Goldeneye Male
Barrow's Goldeneye Male
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barrow's Goldeneye (male) at Slimbridge Wildfowl and
Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire, England.
Taken by Adrian Pingstone in March 2004 and released to
the public domain.
This image has been (or is hereby) released into the
public domain by its author, Arpingstone at the English
Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.
In some countries this may not be legally possible; if
so: Arpingstone grants anyone the right to use this work for
any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions
are required by law.
Barrow's Goldeneye
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Barrow's Goldeneye (Bucephala
islandica) is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus
Bucephala, the goldeneyes. This bird was named after Sir
John Barrow.
Adults are similar in appearance to
the Common Goldeneye. Adult males have a dark head with a
purplish gloss and a white crescent at the front of the
face. Adult females have a yellow bill.
Their breeding habitat is wooded
lakes and ponds primarily in northwestern North America but
also in scattered locations in eastern Canada and Iceland.
In Icelandic the bird is known as húsönd; it is
a common species of the Lake Myvatn in the north of the
country.
They are migratory and most winter in
protected coastal waters or open inland waters. For winter,
it migrates to the coast. It is an extremely rare vagrant to
western Europe and to southern North America.
These diving birds forage underwater.
They eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and pond vegetation.
They nest in cavities in trees, also
in burrows or protected sites on the ground.
T his goldeneye tends not to share
habitat with the much more numerous Common
Goldeneye.
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Bufflehead
Bufflehead male
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Bufflehead female
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Bufflehead
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
The Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is
a small American sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the
goldeneyes. This species was first described by Linnaeus in
his Systema naturae in 1758 as Anas albeola.
They range from 32-40 cm long
(12.5-16 inches) and 270-550 grams (9.5 oz.-1.2 lbs), with
the drakes larger than the females. Averaging 35.5 cm (14
inches) and 370 grams (13 oz), they rival the Green-winged
Teal as the smallest American duck.
Adult males have a dark head with a
large white cap behind the eye and a mainly white body with
a black back. Adult females have a brown head with a smaller
white patch behind the eye and a mainly brown
body.
The name Bufflehead is a combination
of buffalo and head, referring to the oddly bulbous head
shape of the species. This is most noticeable when the male
puffs out the feathers on the head, thus greatly increasing
the apparent size of the head.
They are migratory and most of them
winter in protected coastal waters, or open inland waters,
on the east and west coasts of North America and the
southern United States. The Bufflehead is an extremely rare
vagrant to western Europe.
Their breeding habitat is wooded
lakes and ponds in Alaska and Canada, almost entirely
included in the boreal forest or taiga habitat. They nest in
cavities in trees, often using old Flicker or Pileated
Woodpecker nests, occasionally 425 meters (1400 feet) from
water. Nest competitors include Mountain Bluebird (Sialia
currucoides), Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), Northern
Flicker, and European Starling.
There was one recorded instance of a
female Barrow's Goldeneye killing a Bufflehead adult female
and her brood. Smaller cavities are preferred because of
less competition with the larger Goldeneyes.
A clutch may range from 5 to 10 eggs.
Eggs are typically about 36.3 mm (1.4 inches) in breadth and
50.6 mm (2 inches) in length, weighing about 37.4 grams (1.3
oz) on average. The incubation period ranges from 28 to 33
days, during which the female is quite attentive. Locally,
the clutch survival rate may range from 45% to 5% based on
factors like cold weather, rain, competitors (i.e. grebes or
other ducks) or predators (like Northern Pike). The female
abandons the nest after 5 to 6 weeks, and the young fledge
at 45 to 55 days of age.
These diving birds forage underwater.
In freshwater habitats they eat mostly insects, and on
saltwater they feed predominantly on crustaceans and
molluscs. Aquatic plants and fish eggs can often become
locally important food items as well.
Buffleheads do not tend to collect in
large flocks; groups are usually limited to small numbers
(less than 10).
Predators of adults include Peregrine
Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca),
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Great Horned Owl
(Bubo virginianus) and Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii).
Females may be killed on the nest by
mammals, such as weasels or mink, and by goldeneyes over
nest competition.
About 70,000+ Buffleheads are killed
yearly by duck hunters, but this only comprises about 1% to
2% of waterfowl-hunting in North America and is strongly
regulated.
Habitat degredation is now the major
threat to this bird, since they almost always return to
their hatch site to breed.
Although Buffleheads do use man-made
nest boxes, they still need the forest habitat in order to
thrive.
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Common
Shelduck
This image- Common Shelduck Male
(Tadorna tadorna) at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands
Centre, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England. This is a file
from the Wikimedia Commons.
Taken by Adrian Pingstone in June 2004
and released to the public domain.
Common.shelduck.2.arp.750pix.jpg
Common Shelduck
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
The Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
is a widespread and common duck of the Genus Tadorna. Fossil
bones from Dorkovo (Bulgaria) described as Balcanas
pliocaenica may actually belong to this species. More
likely, they are an extinct species of Tadorna (if not a
distinct genus) due to their Early Pliocene age; the present
species is not unequivocally attested from the fossil record
until some 2-3 million years later (Late Pliocene/Early
Pleistocene.
Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and
means "pied waterfowl", essentially the same as the English
"shelduck".
Description
The gooselike Common Shelduck is a
striking bird with its red bill, white and chestnut body,
dark green head and neck. Sexes are similar, but the female
is duller. The male has a swollen red bill knob in the
breeding season.
The call is a loud honk.
Distribution and
habitat
This is a bird which breeds in
temperate Eurasia. Most populations migrate to subtropical
areas in winter, but this species is largely resident in
westernmost Europe, apart from movements to favoured
moulting grounds, such as the Wadden Sea on the north German
coast.
The Common Shelduck is common around
the coastline of Great Britain (where it is simply known as
Shelduck), where it frequents salt marshes and
estuaries.
Behaviour
Moulting flocks can be very large
(100,000 on the Wadden Sea), since most pairs leave their
partially grown young in a crèche with just one or
two adults.
This species is mainly associated
with lakes and rivers in open country, breeding in rabbit
burrows, tree holes, haystacks or similar. In winter it is
common on suitable estuaries and tidal mudflats as
well.
This bird is one of the species to
which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cotton Pygmy Goose
Image:Cotton Pygmy-goose (Nettapus coromandelianus)-
Female with Lesser Whistling-duck in Kolkata I IMG 1001.jpg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cotton Pgymy Goose (Nettapus coromandelianus) in Kolkata,
West Bengal, India.
6.1.07 Author J.M.Garg I, the copyright holder of this
work, hereby publish it under the following licenses:
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify
this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation
license, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the
Free Software Foundation;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cotton_Pygmy-goose_%28Nettapus_coromandelianus%29-_Female_with_Lesser_Whistling-duck_in_Kolkata_I_IMG_1001.jpg
Cotton Pygmy Goose
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cotton Pygmy Goose or the Cotton Teal, Nettapus
coromandelianus is a small perching duck which breeds in
India, Pakistan, southeast Asia and south to northern
Australia.
It is locally known as Girri, Girria, Girja (Hindi);
Gurgura (Etawah); Bali hans (Bengal); Bhullia hans
(Bangladesh); Dandana (Orissa); Ade, Atla (Ratnagiri);
Naher, Keeke, Chuwa (Nowgong, Assam); Baher, Kararhi (Sind,
Pakistan).
The smallest of the Indian wild ducks, white
predominates in the plumage.
Bill short, deep at base, and goose-like.
Male in breeding plumage is glossy blackish green crown,
with white head, neck, and underparts; a prominent black
collar and white wing-bar.
Rounded head and short legs.
In flight, the wings are green with a white band, making
the male conspicuous even amongst the huge flying flocks of
the Lesser Whistling Duck, which share the habitat.
Female paler, without either black collar and only a
narrow or nonexistent strip of white wing-bar.
In non-breeding plumage (eclipse) male resembles female
except for his white wing-bar.
Flocks on water bodies (jheels), etc.
Call: A peculiar clucking, uttered in flight
It is largely resident, apart from dispersion in the wet
season, but Chinese birds winter further south. It nests in
tree holes, laying 8-15 eggs.
This is an abundant species in Asia, although the
slightly larger Australian race appears to be declining in
numbers.
Found on all still freshwater lakes (jheels),
rain-filled ditches, inundated paddy fields, irrigation
tanks, etc.
Becomes very tame on village tanks wherever it is
unmolested and has become inured to human proximity.
Swift on the wing, and can dive creditably on
occasion.
Chiefly seeds and vegetable matter, especially water
lilies; also insects, crustaceans, etc.
Nesting Season- July to September (SW. monsoon).
Nest- a natural hollow in a tree-trunk standing in or
near water, sometimes lined with grass, rubbish and
feathers.
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Hooded
Merganser
Image:Hooded.merganser.arp.600pix.jpg
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Hooded Mergansers (female on the left,
not to relative scale) at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands
Centre, Gloucestershire, England.
Taken by Adrian Pingstone in February
2004 and released to the public domain.
Hooded Merganser
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
The Hooded Merganser
(Lophodytes cucullatus) is a small duck and is the only
member of the genus Lophodytes (Reichenbach,
1853).
Hooded Mergansers have a crest at the
back of the head which can be expanded or contracted. In
adult males, this crest has a large white patch, the head is
black and the sides are reddish brown. The adult female has
a reddish crest, with much of the rest of the head and body
a greyish-brown. The Hooded Merganser has a sawbill but is
not classified as a typical merganser.
Their breeding habitat is swamps and
wooded ponds on the northern half of the United States or
southern Canada. They prefer to nest in tree cavities near
water but will use Wood Duck nesting boxes if available and
unoccupied. They form pairs in early winter.
Hooded Mergansers are short distance
migrants and winter in the United States wherever winter
temperatures allow for ice free conditions on ponds, lakes
and rivers. Although they have occurred as vagrants to
Europe, this attractive species is so common in captivity
that only a ringed bird would be likely to be accepted as
anything other than an escapee.
They feed by diving and swimming
under water to collect small fish, crustaceans and aquatic
insects.
A species of fossil duck from the
Late Pleistocene of Vero Beach, Florida, was described as
Querquedula floridana (a genus now included in Anas), but
upon reexamination turned out to be a species closely
related to the Hooded Merganser; it is now named Lophodytes
floridanus, but the exact relationship between this bird and
the modern species is unknown.
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Smew
Image:Merginae.smew.arp.750pix.jpg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Smew at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre,
Gloucestershire, England.
Taken by Adrian Pingstone in February 2004 and released
to the public domain.
Adult Pair of
Smew
Image:Smew.both.arp.600pix.jpg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Male (top picture) and female Smew at Slimbridge Wildfowl
and Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire, England.
I don't want to pretend these two posed so prettily. I
joined two pictures, the join line is easy to see.
Taken by Adrian Pingstone in January 2004 and released to
the public domain.
Smew
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Description
The Smew (Mergellus albellus) is a
small duck which is intermediate between the mergansers and
the goldeneyes, and has interbred with the Common Goldeneye.
It is the only member of the genus Mergellus
Appearance
The drake Smew, with its 'cracked
ice' appearance, is unmistakable, and looks very
black-and-white in flight. The females and immature males
are grey birds with chestnut foreheads and crowns, and can
be confused at a distance with the Ruddy Duck; they are
often known as "redhead" Smew. It has oval white
wing-patches in flight. The Smew's bill has a hooked tip and
serrated edges, which help it catch fish when it dives for
them.
Habitat
This species breeds in the northern
taiga of Europe and Asia. It needs trees for breeding. The
Smew lives on fish-rich lakes and slow rivers. As a migrant
it leaves its breeding areas and winters on sheltered coasts
or inland lakes of the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, northern
Germany and the Low Countries, with small number reaching
Great Britain, mostly at regular sites. On lakes it prefers
areas around the edges, often under small trees.
Behaviour
The Smew breeds in May and lays 6-9
creme-colored eggs. It nests in tree holes, such as old
woodpecker nests. It is a shy bird and flushes easily when
disturbed.
The Smew is one of the species to
which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
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Trumpeter
Swan
Trumpeter Swan on
nest
This image or media file contains
material based on a work of a National Park Service
employee, created during the course of the person's official
duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, such work
is in the public domain. See the NPS website and NPS
copyright policy for more information.
Trumpeter Swan
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator
is the largest native North American bird, if measured in
terms of weight and length, and is (on average) the largest
waterfowl species on earth.
Males typically measure from
145&endash;163 cm (57&endash;64 inches) and weigh 11.8 kg
(26 lb); females typically range from 139&endash;150 cm
(55&endash;60 inches) and weigh 10 kg (22 lb).
It is rivaled in size among waterfowl
only by the introduced Mute Swan, which is native to
Eurasia, but the Trumpeter usually is longer-bodied.
Exceptionally large male Trumpeters
can reach a length of 183 cm (72 inches), a wingspan of 3
meters (almost 10 ft) and a weight of 17.4 kg (38 lb).
The Trumpeter Swan is closely related
to the Whooper Swan of Eurasia, and even has been considered
the same species by some authorities.
In winter, they may eat crop remnants
in agricultural fields, but more commonly they feed while
swimming.
These birds have white plumage with a
long neck, a black bill subtly marked with salmon-pink along
the mouthline, and short black legs.
The cygnets (juveniles) are grey in
appearance, becoming white after the first year.
The Mute Swan can easily be
distinguished by its orange bill and different structure
(particularly the neck, which is almost always curved down).
The Tundra Swan more closely
resembles the Trumpeter, but is quite a bit smaller and
usually has yellow lores.
Distinguishing Tundra and Trumpeter
Swans from a distance (when size is harder to gauge) is
quite challenging, and can often be done only with
experience and knowledge of structural details.
Adults go through a summer moult when
they temporarily lose their flight feathers.
The females become flightless shortly
after the young hatch; the males go through this process
about a month later when the females have completed their
moult.
Their breeding habitat is large
shallow ponds and wide slow rivers in northwestern and
central North America, with the largest numbers of breeding
pairs found in Alaska.
Natural populations of these swans
migrate to and from the Pacific coast and portions of the
United States, flying in V-shaped flocks.
Released populations are mostly
non-migratory.
The female lays 8 to 17 eggs in a
mound of plant material on a small island, a beaver or
muskrat lodge, or a floating platform.
The same location may be used for
several years.
The eggs average 73 mm (2.9 inches)
wide, 113.5 mm (4.5 inches) long, and weigh about 320 grams
(11.3 oz).
The incubation period is 32 to 37
days.
These birds often mate for life, and
both parents will participate in incubation and brooding.
The young are able to swim within two
days and usually are capable of feeding themselves after at
most two weeks.
The fledging stage is reached at 3 to
4 months.
These birds feed while swimming,
sometimes up-ending or dabbling to reach submerged food.
The diet is almost entirely aquatic
plants.
In winter, they may also eat grasses
and grains in fields.
The young are fed on insects and
small crustaceans along with plants at first, changing to a
vegetation-based diet over the first few months.
Predators of Trumpeter Swan eggs
include Common Raven (Corvus corax), Common Raccoon (Procyon
lotor), Wolverine (Gulo gulo), American Black Bear (Ursus
americanus), Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), Coyote (Canis
latrans), Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and Northern River Otter
(Lontra canadensis).
Most of the same predators will prey
on young cygnets, as will Common Snapping Turtle (Chelhydra
serpentina), California Gull (Larus californicus), Great
Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and American Mink (Mustela
vison).
Larger cygnets and nesting adults are
preyed on by Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Bobcat (Lynx
rufus), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Coyote.
Few predators, apart from the Bobcat
and possibly the Golden Eagle, are capable of taking adults
when they are not nesting.
This bird was named for its
trumpet-like honk which some compare to the sound of a
French horn.
The E.B. White novel, The Trumpet of
the Swan, is about a Trumpeter Swan which learns to play the
trumpet in order to compensate for having been born mute, a
reference to another swan, the Mute Swan.
In the 1800s and early 1900s, the
Trumpeter Swan was hunted heavily, both as game and a source
of feathers.
This species is also unusually
sensitive to lead poisoning while young.
These birds once bred in North
America from northwestern Indiana west to Oregon in the
U.S., and in Canada from James Bay to the Yukon, but their
comparatively small numbers in the southern part of their
range were reduced to near zero by the mid-twentieth
century.
Many thousands survived in the core
range in Canada and Alaska, however, where populations have
since rebounded.
Efforts to reintroduce this bird into
other parts of its original range, and to introduce it
elsewhere, have had only modest success, as suitable
habitats have dwindled and the released birds do not
undertake migrations.
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Whistling
Ducks
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Image:Whistling duck flight02 - natures
pics-edit1.jpg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Birding Center, Port
Aransas, Texas
11:18, 26 December 2006
This image was selected as picture of the day for April
25, 2007.
Author- Alan D. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com; Edited
by olegivvit
Permission - (Reusing this image)
"We consider each image to be in the Public Domain with
the proviso that their use conform to the general spirit of
the rules governing Attribution-ShareALike 2.5 as described
by Creative Commons in their summary deed." -- From the
front page of the web site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Whistling_duck_flight02_-_natures_pics-edit1.jpg
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna
autumnalis) is a whistling duck that uniquely breeds
monogamously "for life" (as do swans and geese) in the
southernmost United States and tropical Central and South
America.
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck is a common but wary
species. It is largely resident, apart from local movements.
It usually nests in hollow trees.
The habitat is quiet freshwater lakes, cultivated land
or reservoirs with plentiful vegetation, where this duck
feeds mainly at night on seeds and other plant food.
It is highly gregarious, forming large flocks when not
breeding. As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a
clear whistling waa-chooo call.
It is known as pijije in Latin American countries such
as Costa Rica, Mexico and Cuba.
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck is 48-53 cm (19-21 in)
long. It has a long red bill, long head and longish legs,
pale grey head and mostly grey-brown plumage. The belly is
black and the large white wing bar is visible in
flight.
All plumages are similar, except that juveniles have a
grey bill and less contrasted belly.
Due to its unique appearance, this species is almost
unmistakable. With an upright stance, long pink legs, and
long neck, adult Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are unlikely
to be confused with any other species within their
range.
The belly is black, and the back, breast, lower neck,
and cap are a rich chestnut brown.
The face and upper neck are gray, and they sport a
distinct white eye-ring. The extensive white in the wings is
obvious in flight.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks prefer shallow freshwater
ponds, lakes, and marshes. Tree-lined bodies of water are of
particular value.
The species was formerly known as the Black-bellied Tree
Duck; as this name suggests, they are quite fond of
perching. Additionally, tree cavities provide nesting sites.
This species can also be seen "loafing" in flocks on golf
courses and other grassy areas near suitable waterways.
Feeding often occurs nocturnally, but can occur at any
hour.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks ingest a wide variety of
plant material, but also consume insects and aquatic
invertebrates when available.
They often feed on submerged vegetation by wading
through shallow water. In Mexico, the Black-bellied
Whistling-Duck is known as "pato maizal," or cornfield duck,
as it is commonly seen gleaning recently harvested
fields.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is unique among ducks,
in that pairs often stay together for many years, a trait
more often associated with geese and swans.
Both parents share all tasks associated with the raising
of young, from incubation to the rearing of ducklings. The
ducks, primarily cavity nesters, prefer the confines of a
hollow tree, but will nest on the ground when
necessary.
They also make use of chimneys, abandoned buildings, or
nest boxes, the latter having been increasingly provided to
them over recent decades, especially in southeast Texas and
Mexico.
Ducklings leap from nest cavities within two days of
hatching, can feed themselves immediately, and stay with the
parents for up to eight weeks.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is mainly
non-migratory.
Birds in the extreme northern portions of their range
(Arizona, Louisiana, and parts of Texas) move south in
winter.
At the heart of their range, there is a tendency to
travel in flocks over the winter months, though this
behavior is not necessarily migratory.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is an unusual species
among North American waterfowl.
With its long legs, peculiar appearance, and odd habits,
it was described by one early American ornithologist as
"most un-duck-like." Its numbers are increasing in North
America.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is a common bird on the
Mexico coast. To the south, its range extends throughout
Central America, and across much of South America.
In the United States, it can be found year-round in
parts of southeast Texas, and seasonally in southeast
Arizona, and Louisiana's Gulf Coast.
It is a rare breeder in such disparate locations as
Florida, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina.
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