Plumed Whistling Duck

Warm rich brown head and neck, pale buff breast with distinct fine black and white barring on the flanks. Prominent long, straw-colored plumes extend from the flanks over the wings. Sexes are similar in appearance, with juveniles being duller and lacking the long flank plumes.

Upright stance, long pinkish legs, pale buff chest, barred flanks, and long straw-colored flank plumes hanging over the wings.

Length: 42–60 cm (17–24 in), Wingspan: 75–90 cm, Weight: 600–1,000 g

A loud, distinct, two-note whistling call ('chi-wii' or 'see-you') often given in flight or when disturbed.

Primarily vegetarian, feeding on grasses, seeds, and aquatic vegetation, often grazing on land like geese.

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savanna woodlands, wetlands, flooded pastures, and agricultural lands near permanent water sources.

Nomadic to partial migrant, moving in response to wet and dry seasons and localized flooding.

Breeds during the wet season. Nests in a shallow depression on the ground hidden in tall grass or sometimes in tree hollows. Clutch size typically ranges from 10 to 14 eggs.

Wandering Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata), which has a darker chestnut belly and lacks the long flank plumes.

Acts as a seed disperser and plays a role in aquatic and grassland food webs.

Least Concern, with a stable population trend.

Look for them grazing in open grasslands or resting near freshwater swamps, billabongs, and floodwaters. They are quite approachable in protected areas.

Unlike most ducks, whistling ducks spend a lot of time on land grazing, perch readily in trees, and have a more upright, goose-like posture.