Black-bellied Whistling Duck - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: Black-bellied Tree-Duck, Red-billed Whistling Duck

Subspecies fulgens
Photo © by David Roach
Wakodahatchee, Florida, USA, 8 September 2004

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Identification

L. 20-22" (51-56 cm).

• Tall, long-necked, and long-legged

Adult

• Mainly chestnut and black
• Red bill
• Pink legs
• Large white wing patch visible in flight

Immature

Similar, but much duller

Escaped captive
Photo © by gmax
Isola della Cona, Gorizia, North-eastern Italy, 21 May 2007

Distribution

USA: Breeds in southern Texas and Arizona, expanding northwards and commonly found in suburban areas around Houston and Dallas. Introduced birds have bred in southern Florida. Casual vagrant to Kansas.
Rest of the Americas: Mexico through Central and South America to Argentina.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

This is a polytypic species. Two subspecies are recognised¹:

• D. a. fulgens:

• South US to Panama- Distinctive, lacking grey lower breast to hind-collar of nominate.

• D. a. autumnalis:

• Panama to northern Argentina (mainly east of Andes) - Lower breast and hind-collar gray.

Habitat

Ducklings subspecies fulgens
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve, Galveston County, Texas, USA, 2 May 2017

Wooded or tree-lined streams and ponds.

Behaviour

These handsome, conspicuous birds often rest on large tree branches, stakes, or poles in the water, also on the ground, by bodies of water.

Breeding

The 12-16 white eggs are placed in a tree cavity or man-made nest box without a nest lining, occasionally on the ground among reeds.

Diet

Almost entirely herbivorous, they feed in shallow water on tubers and other aquatic vegetation, as well as in grain fields.

Unlike many ducks, this species is largely nocturnal, migrating at night and resting and feeding during the day.

Vocalisation

Squeaky whistles, often in flight.

References

Nominate subspecies
Photo © by Orozimbo
Lins SP Brazil, 20 July 2016

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Restall et al Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
3. Carboneras, C. & Kirwan, G.M. (2018). Black-bellied Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52801 on 5 July 2018).
4. James, J. D. and J. E. Thompson (2001). Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.578

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-bellied Whistling Duck. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-bellied_Whistling_Duck

External Links

• Arthur Grosset's Birds

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