Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 17.3–20.1 in
44–51 cm - Weight
- 21–34 oz
595–964 g
Other Names
- Fulvous Tree-Duck (English)
- Dendrocygne fauve, Millouin du Mexique (French)
- Chiquiote, Algarabia, Pato silvon, Pato silbon, Pato amarillo, Pikike canelo (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- In some ways, whistling-ducks act more like swans than ducks. The male helps to take care of the offspring and a mated pair stays bonded for many years.
- Pesticides applied to rice in the 1960s caused declines in Texas and Louisiana populations. Numbers have recovered and stabilized since then.
- The Fulvous Whistling-Duck is a frequent nest parasite, laying eggs in other Fulvous Whistling-Duck nests, as well as the nests of other duck species. These other duck species often lay their eggs in Fulvous Whistling-Duck nests as well.
- Unlike many other ducks which have elaborate courtship displays, whistling-ducks appear to have none.
- Other than in agricultural habitats, the Fulvous Whistling-Duck nests only rarely in the United States. It started breeding in the United States only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, nesting in rice fields.
Habitat
Marsh
- Freshwater wetlands, especially shallow impoundments managed for rice. Also flooded grasslands and pasture.
Food
Plants
Seeds of water plants, rice, aquatic invertebrates.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Egg Description
- White to buffy white.
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy young leave the nest soon after hatching.
Nest Description
A simple bowl in dense floating or flooded emergent vegetation.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Dabbler
No obvious courtship displays. Dabbles at and just below waterline. Makes shallow dives and tips-up. A filter-feeder, not a grazer.
Conservation
Least Concern
Because of the duck's close association with agriculture, it risks pesticide exposure
Credits
- Hohman, W. L., and S. A. Lee. 2001. Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor). In The Birds of North America, No. 562 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.