Fulvous Whistling-duck
A species of Whistling-ducks, Also known as Fulvous Duck Scientific name : Dendrocygna bicolor Genus : Whistling-ducks
Fulvous Whistling-duck, A species of Whistling-ducks
Also known as:
Fulvous Duck
Botanical name: Dendrocygna bicolor
Genus: Whistling-ducks
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Description People often ask General Info
Photo By TheoGeen , used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The fulvous whistling duck is 45–53 cm (18–21 in) long; the male weighs 748–1,050 g (26.4–37.0 oz), and the female averages marginally lighter at 712–1,000 g (25.1–35.3 oz). The wingspan ranges from 85 to 93 cm. It is a long-legged duck, mainly different shades of brown; head, neck and breast are particularly rich buff (fulvous) with a darker back. The mantle is more darker shade of brown with buff-tipped feathers, the flight feathers and tail are dark brown, and a dark brown to black stripe runs through the center of the crown down the back of the neck to the base of the mantle. It has whitish stripes on its flanks, a long grey bill and grey legs. In flight, the wings are brown above and black below, with no white markings, and a white crescent on the rump contrasts with the black tail. All plumages are fairly similar, but the female is slightly smaller and duller-plumaged than the male. The juvenile has paler underparts, and appears generally duller, especially on the flanks. There is a complete wing moult after breeding, and birds then seek the cover of dense wetland vegetation while they are flightless. Body feathers may be moulted throughout the year; each feather is replaced only once annually. These are noisy birds with a clear whistling kee-wee-ooo call given on the ground or in flight, frequently heard at night. Quarrelling birds also have a harsh repeated kee. In flight, the beating wings produce a dull sound. The calls of males and females show differences in structure and an acoustic analysis on 59 captive birds demonstrated 100% accuracy in sexing when compared with molecular methods. Adult birds in Asia can be confused with the similar lesser whistling duck, which is smaller, has a blackish crown and lacks an obvious dark stripe down the back of the neck. Juvenile fulvous whistling ducks are very like young lesser whistling ducks, but the crown colour is still a distinction. Juvenile comb ducks are bulkier than whistling ducks and have a dark cap to the head. In South America and Africa, juvenile white-faced whistling ducks are separable from fulvous by their dark crowns, barred flanks and chestnut breasts. 
Size
46-53 cm (18-21 in)
Colors
Brown
Black
Yellow
Red
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
20 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
2 - 44 eggs
Number of Broods
24 - 25 days
Feeding Habits
Fulvous Whistling-duck feed on invertebrates and seeds of aquatic plants, foraging by swimming, wading, dabbling, tipping up, or diving. They filter-feed, straining mud to extract food. Diet includes algae, seeds of grasses and sedges, rice, and small mollusks. Ducklings consume more animal matter. They forage day or night, sometimes in mixed flocks, and may dive up to 1 m deep.
Habitat
The fulvous Whistling-duck primarily resides in freshwater wetlands, including marshes, swamps, and shallow lakes with depths under 20 inches. They are adaptable to open lowland habitats and modified agricultural terrains like rice paddies. While forested and mountainous areas are generally avoided, seasonal habitats range from brackish marshes to freshwater rivers with emergent vegetation, and occasionally mangrove swamps and riparian forests in winter.
Nest Behavior
Fulvous Whistling-duck pairs choose a nest site together, and both participate in construction. They add new materials as the nest decays or floods. Parental care includes nest maintenance, egg incubation, and chick rearing.
Nest Characteristics
Fulvous Whistling-duck builds a nest platform from bent stalks in weedy rice fields or reed stands, forming a bowl shape with dead marsh grasses. The nest features a ramp for water access, averages 14 inches in width, and the interior bowl measures 9.7 by 4.3 inches.
Dite type
Herbivorous
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General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Sounds
Call
Recording location: South Africa
Call
Recording location: United States
Behavior
Fulvous Whistling-duck exhibit a blend of monogamous and possibly polygamous tendencies, forming pairs that typically remain together throughout the year. They engage in a ritualized courtship involving bill dipping, displays of paddling, and post-mating gestures often observed in flocks. Unlike most waterfowl, both sexes of fulvous Whistling-duck participate equally in nesting and rearing their young, without defending a territory, yet they do defend their nests vigorously. They exhibit aggression by raising their crest feathers and may resort to physical confrontations. Notably, fulvous Whistling-duck are known for brood parasitism. Post-breeding, fulvous Whistling-duck form large flocks for migration and molting, demonstrating a highly social nature.
Distribution Area
The fulvous whistling duck has a very large range extending across four continents. It breeds in lowland South America from northern Argentina to Colombia and then up to the southern US and the West Indies. It is found in a broad belt across sub-Saharan Africa and down the east of the continent to South Africa and Madagascar. The Indian subcontinent is the Asian stronghold. It undertakes seasonal movements in response to the availability of water and food. African birds move southwards in the southern summer to breed and return north in the winter, and Asian populations are highly nomadic due to the variability of rainfall. This species has strong colonising tendencies, having expanded its range in Mexico, the US and the West Indies in recent decades with northerly range expansions into California in late 19th century and rice-growing regions of the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain in the early to mid-20th century, given its affinity for rice-growing areas. Breeding in the northern American region is restricted to the Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas and Louisiana and localities in southern California and south- and east-central Florida. Observations of the bird outside the nesting season, especially since the 1950s have been recorded in temperate regions as far north as the Mississippi River Basin, eastern Great Lakes region, and along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts right up to southern Canada. Wandering birds can turn up far beyond the normal range, sometimes staying to nest, as in Morocco, Peru and Hawaii. The fulvous whistling duck is found in lowland marshes and swamps in open, rice fields, flat country, and it avoids wooded areas. It is not normally a mountain species, breeding in Venezuela, for example, only up 300 m (980 ft), but the single Peruvian breeding record was at 4,080 m (13,390 ft).
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Waterfowl Family
Geese Genus
Whistling-ducks Species
Fulvous Whistling-duck 
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