Fulvous Whistling Duck
Dendrocygna bicolor
Description: Fulvous Whistling Ducks are 18 to 21 inches long. They are long-legged and long-necked. They are mainly bright tan. Stripes are located on the rump and the sides of the animal. The back and the wings are dark.
General Information: Fulvous Whistling Ducks are also an interesting species of duck. They do not exhibit regular “duck” behavior. They have many unorthodox manners. One thing they do is trail their legs under them in flight. They also thrust their bills deep into the mud when feeding. They also don’t quack like normal ducks, but rather emit a loud, gurgling whistling sound.
Habitat: Freshwater marshes, weedy ponds, wooded swamps, and croplands.
Range: Southeastern coast of Texas, southern coast of Louisiana.
Reproduction: Nesting occurs in a plant-lined hollow hidden in tall grass or, rarely, in the hollow of a tree 4 to 30 feet above the ground. 10 to 20 cream colored eggs are laid. The incubation period is 24-26 days, by both sexes. Young are downy at birth, and leave the nest soon after. They first fly at 8 to 9 weeks of age.
Life Span: 6.5 years in the wild, 6-10 years in captivity.
Diet:
In the Wild: Mainly seeds and grain.
At the Zoo: Wild bird seed, romaine lettuce, catfish chow, silversides.
Interesting Facts: Fulvous Whistling Ducks are in the same family as our Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.