Florida Whistler Ducks

Scientists consider whistling ducks more closely related to geese and swans than to the true ducks with their long legs long necks bone structure and erect stance they certainly look more like geese than like ducks.

Florida whistler ducks. The fulvous also occurs there and in florida with occasional stragglers further north along both coasts and the mississippi valley. Today nesting fulvous whistling ducks are abundant in rice growing freshwater wetland areas of south florida. 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 and tropical central to south central south america in the us it can be found year round in peninsular florida parts of southeast texas coastal alabama and seasonally in southeast arizona and louisiana s gulf coast. Florida is home to a variety of both non migratory and migratory ducks.

Whistling duck waterfowl identification. Whistlers as they re commonly called are year round residents of south florida and as you might expect typically hang out in freshwater wetlands. The old maxim holds that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck but with proportions more akin to those of a wading bird and a voice like a dog s squeaky toy this bit of abductive reasoning doesn t snugly apply to one of florida s more recent avian arrivals. Black bellied whistling ducks prefer to feed at night but have been observed feeding at all hours of the day.

Listen for them too these ducks really do have a whistle for their call. The black bellied whistling duck is a boisterous duck with a brilliant pink bill and an unusual long legged silhouette. Since 1968 black bellied whistling ducks frequently have been found in central and south florida in late summer and early fall sometimes in flocks of fulvous whistling ducks. Separate populations of fulvous whistling ducks occur in asia africa madagascar south america and north america.

In places like texas and louisiana watch for noisy flocks of these gaudy ducks dropping into fields to forage on seeds or loafing on golf course ponds. The fulvous is the more common of the two species in the united states. The black bellied whistling duck dendrocygna autumnalis just might be the coolest bird on the planet i mean this bird sports a mohawk after all. Listen for them too these ducks really do have a whistle for their call.

You just can t beat that. In winter many fly south. In places like texas and louisiana watch for noisy flocks of these gaudy ducks dropping into fields to forage on seeds or loafing on golf course ponds. The black bellied whistling duck is a boisterous duck with a brilliant pink bill and an unusual long legged silhouette.

As with geese and swans the plumage of both sexes of whistling ducks are very similar.