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Australian Wildlife

  Wandering Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata)





Wandering Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna arcuata photo
Wandering Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata)

Image by www.aviceda.org - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Wandering Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna arcuata photo
Wandering Whistling Duck, Melbourne Zoo

Image by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







BIRD FACTS

Description
The Wandering Whistling-Duck is a large long-necked duck. It has dark brown back and wings and reddish brown chest and belly. It has upswept white plume feathers edged with brown on the sides. The top of the head and back of the neck is blackish brown and face and neck is pale buff colour. Juveniles are duller with smaller side plumes.

Size
60 cm

Habitat
wetlands, lagoons, swamps

Food
water plants, grasses, insects

Breeding
The nest is a scrape in the ground amongst grass or under shrub not far from water. The female lays six to fifteen eggs.

Range
found in north east New South Wales, eastern and northern Queensland, northern parts of Northern Territory, north east Western Australia. Also found in the Philippines, Borneo, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands

distribution map showing range of Dendrocygna arcuata in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.



Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Anseriformes
Family:Anatidae
Genus:Dendrocygna
Species:arcuata
Common Name:Wandering Whistling-Duck

Relatives in same Genus
  Plumed Whistling Duck (D. eytoni)
  Spotted Whistling-Duck (D. guttata)