whistling duck

whistling duck
any of several long-legged, chiefly tropical ducks of the genus Dendrocygna, most of which have whistling cries.
[1690-1700]

* * *

bird
also called  Tree Duck 

      (Dendrocygna), any of eight species of long-legged and long-necked ducks that utter sibilant cries and may make whirring wing sounds in flight; these distinctive ducks are separated from other members of the family Anatidae (q.v.; order Anseriformes) as a tribe Dendrocygnini. Whistling ducks are sociable though aggressive. The sexes are nearly identical in plumage and behaviour, which includes mutual preening in some species. Whistling ducks fly with slow wingbeats and legs trailing. They sometimes perch in trees or on posts and walk readily with an upright stance. Although several species nest in hollow trees, ground sites are more often used. Drakes help build the nest and rear the young; in some species they also share in incubation.

      Typical of the tribe is the fulvous tree duck (Dendrocygna bicolor), with isolated populations in North and South America, India, and Africa—a most unusual world distribution and, remarkably, without geographic variation. It is mallard-sized, with rusty brown body, white rump, and creamy stripes on the flanks.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Whistling duck — Whistling ducks Black bellied Whistling Duck, Birding Center, Port Aransas, Texas Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Whistling duck — Whistling Whis tling, a. & n. from {Whistle}, v. [1913 Webster] {Whistling buoy}. (Naut.) See under {Buoy}. {Whistling coot} (Zo[ o]l.), the American black scoter. {Whistling Dick}. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) An Australian shrike thrush ({Colluricincla… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whistling duck — /ˈwɪslɪŋ dʌk/ (say wisling duk) noun any of various ducks of the subfamily Dendrocygninae, which make a whistling sound rather than quacking, as the two Australian birds, the wandering whistling duck, Dendrocygna arcuata, and the endemic, plumed… …  

  • whistling duck — baltanugarės antys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Thalassornis angl. whistling duck; white backed duck vok. Weißrückenente, f; Weißrücken Pfeifgans, f rus. белоспинная савка, f pranc. erismature à dos blanc, f ryšiai:… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • whistling duck — noun 1. : goldeneye 2. : tree duck 3. : american scoter …   Useful english dictionary

  • Black-bellied Whistling Duck — Northern subspecies (D. a. autumnalis, note brown breast). The white wing patch, a tell tale feature of this species, is conspicuous in flight. Conservation status …   Wikipedia

  • Wandering Whistling Duck — Conservation status …   Wikipedia

  • West Indian Whistling Duck — Conservation status Vulnerable …   Wikipedia

  • Black-billed Whistling Duck — Taxobox name = Black billed Whistling Duck status = VU | status system = IUCN3.1 trend = down image width = 200px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Anseriformes familia = Anatidae genus = Dendrocygna species = D. arborea… …   Wikipedia

  • Fulvous Whistling Duck — Conservation status Least Concern …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”