Dendrocygna autumnalis
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck breeds in the southernmost USA and tropical Central and South America. Like other whistling ducks, it is more closely related to geese and swans than to ducks: it has long neck and legs, and broad wings, and both sexes are similar. Also, pairs often stay together for many years, and both parents share all tasks associated with the raising of young, from incubation to the rearing of ducklings.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks prefer shallow freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes. Tree-lined bodies of water are of particular value, because they are quite fond of perching, and tree cavities provide nesting sites.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is mainly non-migratory. 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 necessarily migratory.
Picture taken in the Attica Zoological Park, Athens, Greece, in June 2007.
Genus Dendrocygna
Tribe Dendrocygnini
Subfamily Anserinae
Family Anatidae
Order Anseriformes
Class Aves
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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