# 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.

- **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.

## About

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...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/31f74d89-1d1b-4f74-a14d-eb24261df0db
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/6893
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrocygna autumnalis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/411123026/medium.jpg (cello caruso-turiello, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.