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The black-bellied whistling duck (''Dendrocygna autumnalis''), formerly called the black-bellied tree duck, is a
whistling duck The whistling ducks or tree ducks are a subfamily, Dendrocygninae, of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. In other taxonomic schemes, they are considered a separate family, Dendrocygnidae. Some taxonomists list only one genu ...
that breeds from the southernmost United States, Mexico, and tropical
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
to south-central South America. In the US, it can be found year-round in peninsular Florida, parts of southeast Texas, coastal Alabama and Mississippi 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 parts of central Florida. There is a large population of several hundred that winter each year in Audubon Park in uptown New Orleans, Louisiana. Since it is one of only two whistling duck species native to
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, it is occasionally just known as the "whistling duck" or "Mexican squealer" in the southern USA.


Taxonomy

In 1751 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the black-bellied whistling duck in the fourth volume of his ''A Natural History of Uncommon Birds''. He used the English name "The red-bill'd whistling duck". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a live bird kept at the home of
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Charles Wager in Chelsea, London. Edwards was told that the bird had come from the West Indies. When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his ''
Systema Naturae ' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...
'' for the tenth edition, he placed the black-bellied whistling duck with the ducks, geese and swans in the genus '' Anas''. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the
binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Anas autumnalis'' and cited Edwards' work. The black-bellied whistling duck is now placed in the genus ''
Dendrocygna The whistling ducks or tree ducks are a subfamily, Dendrocygninae, of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. In other taxonomic schemes, they are considered a separate family, Dendrocygnidae. Some taxonomists list only one genu ...
'' that was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist
William John Swainson William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist. Life Swainson was born in Dover Place, St Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of ...
to distinguish whistling ducks from the other waterfowl. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ''dendron'' meaning "tree" with the genus '' Cygnus'' containing the swans that was introduced by François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault in 1764. The specific epithet ''autumnalis'' is Latin meaning "autumnal". Two
subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognised. They intergrade in Panama. * ''D. a. fulgens''
Friedmann Friedman, Friedmann, and Freedman are surnames of German origin, and from the 17th century were also adopted by Ashkenazi Jews. It is the 9th most common surname in Israel (8th among Jews) and most common exclusively Ashkenazi name. They may refer ...
, 1947 – southeast Texas to Panama : Larger, with a brown breast and upper back. * ''D. a. autumnalis'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – Panama to Ecuador and northern Argentina : Smaller, with gray breast and upper back. Prior to 1978, birds from western Panama north to the southern USA were erroneously referred to as ''D. a. autumnalis'' and birds from eastern Panama into South America were referred to as ''D. a. discolor''.


Description

The black-bellied whistling duck is a mid-sized waterfowl species. Length ranges from , body mass from and wingspan ranges from . It has a long red bill, long head and longish legs, pale gray head and mostly gray-brown
plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
. The belly and tail are black, and the body plumage, back of the neck and cap are a rich chestnut brown. The face and upper neck are gray, and they sport a thin but distinct white eye-ring. The extensive white in the wings is obvious in flight, less so on the ground; it is formed by the secondary
remiges Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...
while the primaries are black; the wing-coverts are brown. Males and females look alike; juveniles are similar but have a gray bill and less contrasting belly. The wing bar is unique among whistling ducks. When on the ground, it may be hard to discern the light flanks present in many of these waterfowl. The fulvous whistling duck (''D. bicolor'') is the only
sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...
whistling duck that shows such a whitish flank stripe, and it differs from the black-bellied by having dark wings and a lighter belly rather than the other way around. Juvenile ''D. autumnalis'' are quite similar to young of the white-faced whistling duck (''D. viduata''), which have a darker bill and no white wing patch; even when sitting they never seem to show white along the sides, as their thin white vertical barring on the black flanks is very indistinct. As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a clear whistling ''waa-chooo'' call.


Distribution and habitat

The black-bellied whistling duck is mainly
non-migratory Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by ...
. Birds in the extreme northern portions of their range ( Arizona, Louisiana, and parts of Texas) move south in winter. At the heart of their range, there is a tendency to travel in flocks over the winter months, though this behavior is not a true long-range migration but rather local dispersal. Seven adults and eight ducklings were observed on west side of Lake Apopka, Central Florida on 24 July 2015. They have been in this area for more than a year. Since 2009, this species has now become a common breeder in Lake County, Florida, with adult pairs with offspring seen by lakes and in wetlands near Eustis, Tavares, Leesburg, and other municipalities; large wintering flocks of 30+ birds can be seen throughout the county, even up to Lake Norris in the NE central portion of the county. There has been a large flock noted for about two years in the River Plantation area of
Parrish Parrish may refer to: Places in the United States * Parrish, Alabama * Parrish, Florida * Parrish, Illinois, a town destroyed in 1925 by the infamous Tri-State Tornado * Parrish, Wisconsin, a town * Parrish (community), Wisconsin, an unincorp ...
in
Manatee County, Florida Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county ...
and inland from
Port Manatee SeaPort Manatee is a county-owned deepwater seaport located in the eastern Gulf of Mexico at the entrance to Tampa Bay in northern Manatee County, Florida. It is one of Florida's largest deepwater seaports and also regarded as the closest U.S. d ...
in the northern part of the county. This flock has returned every year nesting in a marshy area and observed by residences in the rural area. Over 100 of the whistling ducks have resided in the Gum Slough of Sumter County, Florida for over two years. Recent spike from Leesburg to the Ocklawaha region with many nightly flights averaging 10 per flight. Since late 2019, after the dredging of Lake Roberta in Tampa, Florida, a flock of more than 100 whistling ducks has taken up residence on the shores of the lake. A large flock was observed and photographed by a local resident in Audubon Park, New Orleans, Louisiana in February 2016. A flock of over 100 are in Land O Lakes Florida in Pasco County. Starting in 2019, a male and female started visiting a pond in Powderly, TX (near the Red River). After laying eggs and having 5 ducklings, all 7 of them are still here in 2021.


Behavior and ecology

The black-bellied whistling duck is a common species that is "quite tame, even in the wild".Bull, Farrand (1977) It is highly gregarious, or social, forming large flocks when not breeding, and is largely resident apart from local movements. It usually nests in hollow trees (in South America many times in palm trees). The habitat is quite shallow freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes, cultivated land or reservoirs with plentiful vegetation, where this duck feeds mainly at night on seeds and other plant food.


Breeding

The black-bellied whistling duck is quite unique among ducks in their strong
monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...
pair-bond. Its pairs often stay together for many years, a trait more often associated with geese and
swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...
s. Both parents share all tasks associated with the raising of young, from incubation to the rearing of ducklings. The ducks, primarily cavity nesters, prefer the confines of a hollow tree, but will nest on the ground when necessary. They also make use of chimneys, abandoned buildings, or
nest box A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materia ...
es, the latter having been increasingly provided to them over recent decades, especially in southeast Texas and Mexico. Ducklings leap from nest cavities within two days of hatching, can feed themselves immediately, and stay with the parents for up to eight weeks.


Food and feeding

Feeding often occurs
nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
ly, but they can be encountered eating at any hour of the day. Black-bellied whistling ducks ingest a wide variety of plant material (including
corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
, rice,
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
s, several types of weed and other grasses), but also consume arthropods (such as insects and spiders), aquatic invertebrates (such as snails and
mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
s) and tadpoles when available. They often feed on submerged vegetation by wading through shallow water. As its Latin name (''autumnalis'') implies, it is commonly seen gleaning recently harvested fields for leftover seeds and invertebrates brought up by the harvesters disturbing the soil.


Status and conservation

The black-bellied whistling duck is listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); its global population is estimated at 1,100,000–2,000,000 birds and increasing.


Gallery

File:Black-bellied whistling ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis).jpg, In Tobago Image:Dendrocygna autumnalis USACE.jpg, Black-bellied whistling ducks rarely move long distances, but these birds were seen near
Saltsburg Saltsburg is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its location is in western Pennsylvania, in the southwestern corner of Indiana County near its border with Westmoreland County. The town was based on the construction of salt ...
in Pennsylvania. They may be vagrants or escaped from aviculture. File:Whistling Duck4.jpg, Black-bellied whistling ducks on a manmade nest box in Central Florida File:Black Bellied Whistling Ducklings.jpg, An adult Black-bellied Whistling Duck and sixteen ducklings in
Parrish, Florida Parrish is an unincorporated community in northwestern Manatee County, Florida, United States. The community is located near the intersection of U.S. 301 and State Road 62 and is part of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton Metropol ...
File:Black-bellied whistling ducklings.jpg, Black-bellied whistling ducklings in South Texas


References


Sources

* Bencke, Glayson Ariel (2007): Avifauna atual do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: aspectos biogeográficos e distribucionais The Recent avifauna of Rio Grande do Sul: Biogeographical and distributional aspects" Talk held on 2007-JUN-22 at ''Quaternário do RS: integrando conhecimento'', Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
PDF abstract
* *


External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q752461
black-bellied whistling duck The black-bellied whistling duck (''Dendrocygna autumnalis''), formerly called the black-bellied tree duck, is a whistling duck that breeds from the southernmost United States, Mexico, and tropical Central to south-central South America. In the ...
Birds of Central America Birds of Mexico Birds of South America
black-bellied whistling duck The black-bellied whistling duck (''Dendrocygna autumnalis''), formerly called the black-bellied tree duck, is a whistling duck that breeds from the southernmost United States, Mexico, and tropical Central to south-central South America. In the ...
Native birds of the Southwestern United States Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus