Black-bellied whistling duck

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Black-bellied whistling duck
Northern subspecies (D. a. fulgens, note brown breast). The white wing patch, a tell-tale feature of this species, is conspicuous in flight.

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Dendrocygna
Species:
D. autumnalis
Binomial name
Dendrocygna autumnalis
Subspecies

D. a. autumnalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
D. a. fulgens (Friedmann, 1947)

Synonyms

Anas autumnalis Linnaeus, 1758 Dendrocygna fallalis Gosler, 1991[2]

The black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), formerly called the black-bellied tree duck, is a whistling duck that before 2000 bred mainly in the southernmost United States, Mexico, and tropical Central to south-central South America. It can be found year-round in much of the United States. It has been recorded in every eastern state and adjacent Canadian province.[3] Since it is one of only two whistling duck species native to North America, it is occasionally just known as the "whistling duck" or "Mexican squealer" in the southern USA.

Taxonomy

In 1751 the English naturalist

Cygnus containing the swans that was introduced by François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault in 1764. The specific epithet autumnalis is Latin meaning "autumnal".[8]

Two subspecies are recognised.[7] They intergrade in Panama.

  • D. a. fulgens Friedmann, 1947 – southeast Texas to Panama
Larger, with a brown breast and upper back.
  • D. a. autumnalis (Linnaeus, 1758) – Panama to Ecuador and northern Argentina
Smaller, with gray breast and upper back.

Prior to 1978, birds from western Panama north to the southern USA were erroneously referred to as D. a. autumnalis and birds from eastern Panama into South America were referred to as D. a. discolor.[9]

Description

A black-bellied whistling duck in the water

The black-bellied whistling duck is a mid-sized waterfowl species. Length ranges from 47 to 56 cm (19 to 22 in), body mass from 652 to 1,020 g (1.437 to 2.249 lb), and wingspan ranges from 76 to 94 cm (30 to 37 in).

remiges
while the primaries are black; the wing coverts are brown. Males and females look alike; juveniles are similar but have a gray bill and less contrasting belly.

The wing bar is unique among whistling ducks. When on the ground, it may be hard to discern the light flanks present in many of these

vertical
barring on the black flanks is very indistinct.

As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a clear whistling waa-chooo call.

Distribution and habitat

The black-bellied whistling duck is mainly

Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).[12] At the heart of their range, there is a tendency to travel in flocks over the winter months,[13] though this behavior is not a true long-range migration but rather local dispersal.[11]

In the 21st century, small numbers have been observed nesting in the Midwestern U.S., including Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin;[3] the species has also strayed to the eastern U.S. and Canada.[14][15]

Behavior and ecology

The black-bellied whistling duck is a common species that is "quite tame, even in the wild".[16] It is highly gregarious, or social, forming large flocks when not breeding, and is largely resident apart from local movements. It usually nests in hollow trees (in South America many times in palm trees). The habitat is quite shallow freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes, cultivated land or reservoirs with plentiful vegetation, where this duck feeds mainly at night on seeds and other plant food.

Breeding

The black-bellied whistling duck is quite unique among ducks in their strong

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.

Food and feeding

Feeding often occurs

molluscs) and tadpoles[17]
when available. They often feed on submerged vegetation by wading through shallow water. As its Latin name (autumnalis) implies, it is commonly seen gleaning recently harvested fields for leftover seeds and invertebrates brought up by the harvesters disturbing the soil.

Status and conservation

The black-bellied whistling duck is listed as a species of

least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); its global population is estimated at 1,100,000–2,000,000 birds and increasing.[1]

Gallery

  • In Tobago
    In Tobago
  • Black-bellied whistling ducks near Saltsburg in Pennsylvania.
    Black-bellied whistling ducks near
    Saltsburg in Pennsylvania
    .
  • Black-bellied whistling ducks on a nest box in Central Florida
    Black-bellied whistling ducks on a nest box in Central Florida
  • An adult Black-bellied Whistling Duck and sixteen ducklings in Parrish, Florida
    An adult Black-bellied Whistling Duck and sixteen ducklings in Parrish, Florida
  • Adult at a nature preserve in Boynton Beach, Florida
    Adult at a nature preserve in Boynton Beach, Florida
  • Black-bellied whistling ducklings in South Texas
    Black-bellied whistling ducklings in South Texas

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22679780A131907111.en
    . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ The Photographic Guide to Birds of the World. Academic Press (Andrew Gosler, ed.; 1991 (326). The name fallalis is a nomen nudum therein.)
  3. ^ a b McCormac, Jim (21 October 2022). "Black-bellied whistling-ducks found nesting in Wayne County, Ohio". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  4. ^ Edwards, George (1751). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. Part 4. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 1194, Plate 194.
  5. ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 127.
  6. ^ Swainson, William John (1837). On the Natural History and Classification of Birds. Vol. 2. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman and John Taylor. p. 365.
  7. ^
    Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Screamers, ducks, geese & swans"
    . IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  8. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4
    .
  9. ^ Banks, Richard C. (1978). "Nomenclature of the Black-Bellied Whistling-Duck" (PDF). The Auk. 95: 348–352.
  10. ^ "Black-bellied Whistling-Duck". eNature.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Black-bellied whistling-duck". All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  12. ^ "Revised List of Migratory Birds". 12 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Wetlands and Waterways: A Guide to the Ducks In South Carolina - Birds & Wetlands". birdsandwetlands.com. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  14. ^ "The Duck That Would Rule the World?".
  15. ^ Mia Urquhart (31 May 2022). "Whistling ducks make rare Canadian appearance in N.B." CBC. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  16. ^ Bull, Farrand (1977)
  17. ^ a b c "Dendrocygna autumnalis (Black-bellied Whistling Duck)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 9 April 2022.

Sources

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dendrocygna autumnalis.
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