Scientific Name:
Dendrocygna bicolor
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa S to South Africa, Madagascar, Indian Subcontinent, S USA to N & E South America S as far as N Argentina.
Diet:
Mostly herbivore. Rice and other seeds, fruits, grasses, bulbs, rushes, rarely small aquatic insects.
Facts
Habitat: Variety of freshwater or brackish wetlands.
Incubation: 24-29 days / 6-16 eggs
Social structure: Flocks of hundreds or thousands, breeding period pairs or loose groups.
Weight: 1kg
Dimensions: 45-53cm
Lifespan: 6.5 years
Estimated population in the wild: 1,300,000-1,500,000
Threats: Hunting, pesticides on rice crops, lead poisoning, collision with power lines.
IUCN Status: Least concern
Did you know that:
- Fulvous whistling ducks get their name from their call, which is a very loud, high pitched whistle.
- They are frequent nest parasites, laying eggs in other Fulvous Whistling-Duck nests, or other duck species.
- Nest building, incubation and tending of hatchlings is done by both sexes.