Fulvous Whistling-Duck

A Fulvous Whistling-Duck is a fun bird to see while bird watching. Below are some tips to help you identify Fulvous Whistling-Ducks. We have also put together a list of fun Fulvous Whistling-Duck t-shirts, Fulvous Whistling-Duck bird patches, birdhouses, bird feeders, binoculars, stickers, and other fun bird-watching items.

About Fulvous Whistling-Ducks

Once referred to as the Fulvous Tree duck, the Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna Bicolor) is a beautiful bird found in the tropics of Asia, America, and some parts of America. It is popularly known for its blue feet and tendency to fly in flocks for hundreds of miles.

Description and Identification

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks are beautiful ducks that are 18-21 inches long, with a wingspan between
33.4-36.6 inches. The plumage of these ducks is colored with several shades of brown. The front
portion of their body is slightly lighter in color than their back. They have white strikes on their side
feathers, a gray bill, and gray legs. Both adults have similarly colored plumages, but the females
are duller in comparison to the males. Juveniles are also duller in comparison to adults.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Color Pattern

This bird has distinct grayish-blue legs and a long neck with bluish highlights.  Its plumage is a crisp cinnamon brown with even an even darker brown shade on its wings. The edges of their wings have a white-silver stripe.  Both male and female Fulvous ducks typically look alike, the only difference being that the male bird is a little bigger.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Size

Fulvous Whistling Ducks are medium-sized birds with long legs and necks.

The relative size for both sexes is:

• Length: 17.3-20.1 in (44-51 cm)
• Weight: 21.0-34.0 oz (595-964 g)
• Wingspan: 18-21 inches

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Behavior

The Fulvous Whistling Duck gets its name from its unique coloring and the hoarse tawny whistling sound it produces.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Food

The diet of Fulvous Whistling Ducks is generally comprised of seeds and invertebrates. These
ducks can forage for food by feeding or surface water, or diving in to hunt their prey with their bills.
Their feeding habits are similar to the feeding behavior of their close relatives — Black-Bellied
Whistling Ducks. Some of the aquatic vegetation they consume are sedges, switchgrass, wheat
seeds, reed canary grass, jungle-rice, bahiagrass, blue mud plantain, and robust marshworts. The
animal portion of their diet generally includes midges, earthworms, snails, mollusks, and dragonfly
larvae. Although adults do not indulge much in the animal matter, they are an important source of
nutrition for juveniles.

The Fulvous Whistling Duck is a night eater that forages for food from grassy areas, weeds, and fields. Its diet mainly consists of waste grains from the ground and plant materials found in shallow water.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Habitat

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks generally inhabit shallow freshwater wetlands. These ducks are known to
frequently breed in regions such as rice fields and agricultural fields as they are often a convenient
source of food. Fulvous Whistling-Ducks occupy a variety of habitats in the period of a year. While
migrating in spring these ducks usually choose to inhabit saltwater and freshwater marshes.

These birds are typically found inhabiting marshlands, flooded agricultural areas like rice fields, lagoons, and wet meadows.

Range and Migration

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks are a species of whistling ducks that have a wide range that extends from
Mexico and South America, to the Indian subcontinent. These migratory ducks are known to travel
seasonally to regions that have an abundance of water and food. African populations of these birds
travel southwards in the summers and return to their previous range during the winter.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Life Cycle

The female Fulvous Whistling-Duck lays 12 to 14 whitish nest-stained eggs. Sometimes, the females lay their eggs in each other’s dump that can contain up to 60 plus eggs. The nest is often built-in rice fields usually just a few inches above the surface of the water. Both sexes incubate the eggs for 24-26 days. Once they have hatched, the ducklings are tended to by both their parents but go out to look for their own food. They tend to take flight at about 2 months old.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Nesting

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks share a very brief courtship interaction that involves both of them looking
at each other and dipping their bills in water. Following mating, they perform a much more
elaborate display. During the breeding season, the females are chased by multiple males in the air.
Although males have been observed to mate with more than one female, females are seasonally
monogamous. Fulvous Whistling-Ducks generally travel in flocks but in mid-April, they travel away
from the flock to establish their own breeding territory. Males and females carefully fly over several
spots before choosing a suitable nesting site. They generally choose grasses, rushes, rice fields
, and floating vegetation as their nesting sites. Both members of the pair form a bowl-shaped nest by
bending plant stalks which are lined with dead marsh grasses. Often these ducks also build ramp-
like platforms in their nests to conveniently allow them access to water. As these nests are prone to
sinking and flooding, adults have to vigilantly keep adding new materials. Female Fulvous
Whistling Ducks lay from 2-4 eggs that are incubated for a period of 24-25 days.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Fulvous Whistling-Ducks

The most common types of bird-watching binoculars for viewing Fulvous Whistling-Ducks are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck T-shirts

If you love the Fulvous Whistling-Duck you should purchase a Bird Watching Academy & Camp T-shirt. To help support bird conservation we donate 10 percent to bird conservation activities.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron-on patches. Our bird-watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen and identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The Fulvous Whistling-Duck is a great iron-on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Fulvous Whistling-Duck. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders for Fulvous Whistling-Ducks

There are many types of bird feeders. Here are our favorite bird feeders for your backyard. We use all of these bird feeders currently. Kids will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. Using this collection of bird feeders will provide a wide variety and many types of birds.

Best Bird Houses for Fulvous Whistling-Ducks

There are many types of birdhouses. Building a birdhouse is always fun but can be frustrating. These 4 birdhouses have become our favorites. Getting a birdhouse for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. We spent a little extra money on these birdhouses but they have been worth the higher price and look great.