Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

Black-Bellied Tree Ducks    Other Names: Black Bellied Tree Duck

A PAIR is a male/female pair of unrelated birds.

• Breeding season March to occasionally November, depending on region~strong pair bonds can stay together for years
• Clutch size 9-18 eggs
• incubation period 26-31 days
• average weight of 1.8 pounds both genders~ Males and females are the same in appearance

The Black-Bellied Whistling Duck lives in only the southern-most regions of the US, from Arizona to Louisiana, and has healthy populations throughout Central and South America. The Northern subspecies live from the southern US to Panama, and the Southern subspecies live from Panama to Paraguay. These birds prefer shallow, still bodies of fresh water, such as ponds, marshes, lakes, and reservoirs. While they will live in open areas, they prefer water with nearby trees.

Nests are usually built in the cavities of trees, but may also be constructed on the ground with heavy vegetation cover, if necessary. They will use nesting boxes readily as well.

Because the Black-Bellied Whistling Duck is a particularly docile bird, there was some concern that it would be threatened by hunting, but recent reports have allayed all such fears and shown that this species has expanded its range in the last 30 years and that populations are stable and possibly growing.

The Black-Bellied Whistling duck is also a popular choice among wild waterfowl collectors so there is a healthy captive population as well.

Miscellaneous Notes: The Black-Bellied Whistling duck will breed with other species including the White-Faced Whistling duck, the West Indian Whistling duck, the Fulvous Whistling duck, and the Plumed Whistling duck. It should be kept separate from these species to avoid hybridization.