Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna autumnalis
These ducks are known for their pink bills and long, gangly legs, and they frequently perch on tree branches like songbirds.
- Scientific name
- Dendrocygna autumnalis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Anseriformes › Anatidae › Dendrocygna
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Shallow freshwater ponds, marshes, lagoons, and flooded agricultural fields.
- Diet
- Primarily herbivorous, consuming seeds, grains, and aquatic plants; occasionally eats insects.
- Range
- Southern United States, Mexico, Central America, South America
- Size
- 47-56 cm length, 800-900g weight
- Lifespan
- 6 to 10 years
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Wetland drainage, lead poisoning from spent ammunition, and agricultural pesticides.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Maintain a distance of at least 20 feet to avoid causing flight stress. Do not disturb nesting cavities in trees. If contact occurs, wash hands as with any wild bird.
The black-bellied whistling duck ( Dendrocygna autumnalis ), formerly also called black-bellied tree duck , is a whistling duck that breeds from the southernmost United States and tropical Central to south-central South America. In the USA, 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 Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina, though it is now a common breeder in...
Photo: cello caruso-turiello, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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