Black-bellied Whistling Duck, fka Black-bellied Tree Duck
Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands, Florida, USA
April 2022
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family
§A Brace of Ducks§
{Etymology Corner} I don't usually mention this, but the Latin name of this duck is Dendrocygna autumnalis, which translates roughly into Autumnal Tree-swan. I think that's a great name, it is a very autumnal looking bird.
~True Bird Fact~ Fascinating bird, with behavior that is very unique for ducks- ready for some bullet points? Cause this duck needs bullet points
- Does whistle
- Does nest in trees (in South America, where the duck is most commonly found, it nests in palm trees. Boy I'd like to see that)
- Does form monogamous pair bonds
- Has increased it's North American population by 6% per year from 1966 to 2019, and they expand northward every year. They used to be a rare bird, but now are quite common in southern states. If things continue at this rate, soon the only life this continent will sustain will be Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and honestly, that's fine.
What a cool duck, huh? Well, anyway, that's all for today... Unless you'd like to talk about how this is my first blog post since January. Two this year! How did this happen? Well, to be honest, I had a second kid (as recounted here), and boy, does that take a lot of time up. Birding time has been minimal, but not as minimal as looking-through-photos time and sitting-down-to-write-a-blog time. Still, I am resolved to revive this blog, so I'm going to make a commitment to catch up on my blogging and come out with at least a total of 10 this year, to match my last year's total. I can do 10, right? That's super easy. Lots more birds to come.
Hugs and kisses,
The Amateurnithologist
