Bird Guide

Black-bellied Whistling Duck vs Lesser Whistling Duck

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

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The black-bellied whistling duck is a mid-sized waterfowl species. Length ranges from 47 to 56 cm (19 to 22 in), body mass from 652 to 1,020 g (1.437 to 2.249 lb), and wingspan ranges from 76 to 94 cm (30 to 37 in). It has a long pink bill, long head and longish legs, pale gray head and mostly gray-brown plumage. The belly and tail are black, and the body plumage, back of the neck and cap are a rich chestnut brown. The face and upper neck are gray, and they sport a thin but distinct white eye-ring.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Contina Lab at UTRGV Brownsville · CC BY 4.0
Photo: (c) cello caruso-turiello, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by cello caruso-turiello · cc-by
Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica)

Lesser Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna javanica

Large520 gWetland

This chestnut brown duck is confusable only with the fulvous whistling duck (D. bicolor) but has chestnut upper-tail coverts unlike the creamy white in the latter. The ring around the eye is orange to yellow. When flying straight, their head is held below the level of the body as in other Dendrocygna species. The crown appears dark and the sexes are alike in plumage. They fly slowly but with rapid wing-flapping and usually produce a repetitive wheezy seasick call as they circle overhead. They are very nocturnal and often rest during the day.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Ujjal Kishor De · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: white_cheeked_barbet · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-bellied Whistling Duck and Lesser Whistling Duck.