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Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Dendrocygna bicolorOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Portrait
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General

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Large, long-legged, long-necked duck with dark brown back and white V-shaped rump patch. Head and underparts are buff with white throat and vent. White-edged side and flank feathers form a striking border between sides and back. Tail is black with white undertail coverts. Bill, legs, and feet are blue-gray. Sexes are similar. Juvenile resembles adult but is duller overall. Occasionally perches in trees.

Range and Habitat

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Breeds in southern California, coastal Texas and Louisiana, and southern Florida; winters along the east coast of Mexico. Preferred habitats include shallow freshwater marshes, lakes, and flooded agricultural fields.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"k-weeoo", "kee"

Interesting Facts

  • The Fulvous Whistling-Duck's common name comes from the hoarse whistling sound it makes and from its coloring. Fulvous means tawny.
  • They are easily domesticated and are quite tame even in the wild.
  • Largely nocturnal, they migrate at night and rest and feed during the day, unlike most other ducks.
  • A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Fulvous Whistling-Duck
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Dendrocygna bicolor
Length18 - 21 Inches
Wingspan36 Inches

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Large, long-legged, long-necked duck with dark brown back and white V-shaped rump patch. Head and underparts are buff with white throat and vent. The white-edged side and flank feathers form a striking border between sides and back. Tail is black with white undertail coverts.

● Song: "k-weeoo", "kee"

● Foraging & Feeding: Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Feeds almost exclusively on aquatic vegetation, rice, and seeds of marsh plants; forages day and night.

● Breeding & nesting: Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Twelve to fourteen white eggs are laid in a shallow cup of grass lined with down. Nest is built on the ground in dense vegetation or floats on the water. Incubation ranges from 24 to 26 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Black-bellied Whistling Duck has dark rump, white wing stripes, and lacks white flank stripes.

Flight Pattern

Direct heronlike flight with slow deep wing beats.
Fulvous Whistling-Duck Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Breeds in southern California, coastal Texas and Louisiana, and southern Florida; winters along the east coast of Mexico. Preferred habitats include shallow freshwater marshes, lakes, and flooded agricultural fields.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationUncommon to locally common
MigrationMigratory
Weight25.6 Ounces