West Indian Whistling-Duck

Dendrocygna arborea

A distinctive large waterbird between the size of a large duck and a goose. Nocturnal; roosts during day in mangroves, wooded ponds and marshes and feeds primarily at night. Generally scarce and typically somewhat secretive, particularly where hunting of this species is allowed. Call is loud shrill whistle: “pip-pip-pip-weeeeeaaaa” usually given when agitated or in flight. Similar Fulvous Whistling-Duck is brighter with streaked, not spotted, flanks.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Dendrocygna arborea
Authority
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Genus
Dendrocygna

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

White-bellied Canary

White-bellied Canary

Crithagra dorsostriata

A pretty canary with an olive-green back, a well-marked head, a yellow breast and rump, and a white belly. Males are brighter overall and unstreaked below, while females are duller with thick streaks on the underparts. Found in dry and moderately moist savanna, woodland, and cultivated areas, often in small flocks. Similar to Yellow-fronted Canary, but separated by the white belly and the less boldly marked face. Can look similar to Yellow-crowned Canary, but found in different habitat and has a more heavily marked face. Found in the same habitat as grosbeak-canaries, but smaller and darker-billed. The song consists of musical whistles and trills, sometimes given in a continuous stream and sometimes divided into distinct phrases. 

South African Shelduck

South African Shelduck

Tadorna cana

A mostly rusty-colored waterfowl. Male has a gray neck and head; female similar with a whitish face. Resident and nomadic throughout its range, preferring estuaries, rivers, and impoundments within arid zones. Gives a honk call. Egyptian Goose is similar, but larger, with a brown blotch in the middle of the chest and a different head pattern that includes a tawny eye surrounded by an expanded rusty eye-ring. Egyptian Goose honk is higher and harsher than this species.

Nashville Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Small warbler with sharply pointed bill. Look for gray head, white eyering, yellow underparts (including throat), and olive upperparts. Sometimes pumps tail. Two disjunct breeding populations are very similar in appearance. Breeds in coniferous or mixed forests, often near clearings, second-growth, or bogs. In migration and winter, tends to be found in patchy woodland or brushy areas, including field edges and thickets. Winters primarily in Mexico. Listen for its loud chipping song, broken into two parts. Compare dull immature Nashville with Virginia’s Warbler; Nashvilles always have greenish wings. Also sometimes mistaken for larger gray-headed warblers like Mourning or Connecticut, but Nashville is much smaller, shorter-tailed, and sharper-billed.

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