Spotted whistling duck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spotted whistling duck |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dendrocygna
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| Species: |
guttata
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The spotted whistling duck (scientific name: Dendrocygna guttata) is a type of duck. It belongs to the duck family called Anatidae. People sometimes call it the "spotted tree duck." You can find these ducks in countries like Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, and the Philippines. Some spotted whistling ducks are also kept in zoos or special bird collections.
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What They Look Like
The spotted whistling duck is one of the smaller kinds of whistling ducks. These ducks grow to be about 43 to 50 centimeters (17 to 20 inches) tall. Male ducks usually weigh between 590 and 650 grams. Female ducks are a bit heavier, weighing from 610 to 860 grams.
They get their "spotted" name from the white spots on their sides and chest. Their neck, face, and eyebrows are grey. A dark brown or black color covers the top of their head and the back of their neck. This dark color also forms a patch around their eyes.
Their back looks like a cape, starting light brown and getting darker towards the tail. Their belly is mostly brown, sometimes with spots, and much lighter than their wings. When they fly, you might see a white bar on their upper tail feathers. This helps to identify them.
They have dull pink legs with black webbed feet and sharp nails. Their bill is dark, often with some red parts and a small white mark on the lower jaw. Spotted whistling ducks often stand very tall, looking like they are raised off the ground. When they fly, their head points down, making them look a bit hunched. Their tail stays pointed and looks long.
Young spotted whistling ducks (juveniles) have white streaks instead of spots on their sides. Their colors are also much duller than adult ducks. These ducks molt (shed their feathers) once a year. Like other ducks, swans, and geese, they lose all their flight feathers at the same time. This is called synchronous molting. It helps them stay safe from predators while they are unable to fly. They can float on water during this time.
Where They Live
Spotted whistling ducks live in many places around the world. You can find them across the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and New Guinea. In Indonesia, they live on islands from the Eastern Lesser Sundas to New Guinea. In Australia, they are found in areas like Weipa and Iron ranges. Scientists think some ducks in Indonesia might have arrived there after a storm blew them off course.
Their Home
Like many other ducks, spotted whistling ducks live near water. They especially like small ponds and marshes that are surrounded by trees. They prefer places that are humid and not very high up. These ducks build their nests inside hollow parts of trees near their watery homes.
What They Eat
The spotted whistling duck eats grass seeds, small water bugs, water plants, and tiny fish. They find their food by "dabbling" and "diving." When dabbling, they filter water through their bills at the surface of the pond. When diving, they bounce on the water to go headfirst underwater. They can stay underwater for up to 15 seconds. Scientists believe they eat their food while still underwater. Most of their feeding happens at night.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Spotted whistling ducks form strong pairs for breeding. Male and female ducks look very similar, but females are usually a bit heavier. It's hard to tell them apart without weighing them.
Their breeding season starts in September. Nests can be found as late as April. They build their nests inside hollow trees. Both parents work together to build the nest. A pair can have several groups of eggs (called clutches) in a year. Each clutch usually has 10 to 11 eggs.
Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm. This is called incubation, and it lasts for 18 to 31 days. When the chicks hatch, they weigh about 17.5 grams. In zoos, chicks can fly at about 7 weeks old. In the wild, scientists have seen chicks flying when they are 45 to 50 days old.
How They Behave
Spotted whistling ducks are often seen in groups with other spotted whistling ducks. They sometimes also join groups of Dendrocygna arcuata, another type of whistling duck. Compared to other whistling ducks, they are not very noisy.
These birds often perch on tree branches in groups. These groups are usually smaller than their main flocks. Their flocks often include both adult and young ducks. The adults look after the young ones, keeping them close to the group.
One time, a scientist saw a group of 6 young ducks with two adult ducks. The young ducks didn't seem to mind the human nearby. But the adult male duck made sure to stay between the young ducks and the human, protecting them. This protective behavior was often joined by several high-pitched ticking calls.
Threats and Conservation
The spotted whistling duck is listed as a species of "least concern." This means their population is stable. There are an estimated 10,000 to 25,000 of these birds.
However, in captivity, they can get a disease called avian tuberculosis. This disease is often deadly for birds. Spotted whistling ducks seem to die from it more often than other birds. In one group of captive ducks, 70% died from this disease. This happened mostly from January to March. Their smaller size might make them more likely to get sick.
Interactions with People
People do not often hunt the spotted whistling duck. Like many other duck species, these ducks are sometimes kept in captivity, such as in zoos or bird collections.
Images for kids
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Dendrocygna guttata - MHNT
