Name
White-faced Whistling Duck [Dendrocygna viduata]
Appearance
The Whistling Duck is a rather beautiful bird that is mainly reddish brown in colour. It has white and black feathers under the wings and a white face. The Back of the head is black red in colour. Its wings are black in colour. It has black eyes and a black beak, with light grey legs and black tail feathers.
Diet
The White-Faced Duck has a diet that consists of mollusks, fish, under water tubers and aquatic seeds. These birds will often dive down underwater to hunt their food.
Breeding
The White-Faced Duck build their nests on the ground out of leaves. An important roll in the formation of pairs is mutual preening. Each clutch will contain up to 12 eggs, where both parents incubate the eggs until they hatch after about 30 days. The Ducklings are hidden within the aquatic vegetation.
Behaviour
The White Faced Duck stays in flocks that can number in the hundreds. They are highly social animals where nomadic travel is quite common. They are often found in association with the fulvous whistling duck. It has a high-pitched vocalization that is very distinctive to the species. Its beautiful appearance make it a popular bird in many waterfowl collections. They spend a lot of time sitting on the banks of rivers and dams. They forage in groups during the safety of the night. These duck often preen each other and keep each other clean. They are fast swimmers but will not dive except when going after food.
Habitat
The White Faced Duck prefers dams, lakes, rivers, estuaries, floodplains and sewage dams. They prefer a variety of fresh water like lakes, swamps, and marshes. They can be seen in small bodies of water. They can be found in Zimbabwe, East South Africa, Eastern Botswana, and Northern Namibia.
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