FAMILY NAME: Anatidae SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dendrocygna arcuata SUBSPECIES: none.
SIZE: 55cm to 61cm. (22" to 24") tip to tail.
LOCATION: Found in the Australian tropics and sub tropics, with casual appearances in New South Wales and Victoria. They inhabit well vegetated wetlands, lagoons, swamps, dams and river margins.
BREEDING: Breeding season is from January to May, laying 6 to 8 eggs. The nest is a ground scraping, under a bush or in vegitation beside water, and lined with grass.
GENERAL: Sometimes called the "Diving" whistling-duck, so called because, when feeding, they will dive to a depth of 3m. One of 3 species of whistling-duck in Australia, the others being the "spotted" and the "plumed". A communal bird, forming large to very large flocks of thousands of individuals. When in flight, they make high pitched whistling calls. Males and females have the same appearance.
References:
Michael Morecombe.
Field Guide to Australian Birds, Complete Compact Edtion.Ken Simpson - Nicholas Day.
The Birds of Australia.M. Blakers - S. J. J. F. Davies - P. N. Reilly.
The Atlas of Australian Birds.Birds in Backyards.
www.birdsinbackyards.netGraham Pizzey - Frank Knight.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.
