Lesser Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna javanica

Family: Ducks, Swans, and Geese · Status: Uncommon resident · Size: 38–41 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Resident in the Indian Subcontinent, southern China, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia.

Identification

Duck with warm brown plumage, dark brown upperparts with chestnut fringing, and reddish-chestnut uppertail-coverts. Head and nape are lighter brown; belly more chestnut-toned. In flight, chestnut upperwing coverts contrast against dark flight feathers.

Habitat

Various wetlands including marshes, natural and man-made ponds. Also found in ephemeral wetlands, which includes overgrown, waterlogged ponds in construction sites.

Behaviour

Gregarious, numbers have declined in recent years, localised with stray individuals sighted occasionally. Forages mainly at night and in early morning. Nests within tree holes, occasionally on the ground.