D is for East Indian Wandering, Whistling Duck
A rather handsome wandering duck photo by FIR0002/Flagstaffotos.
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The beautiful deep red-brown and black-feathered, wandering whistling ducks are found in Northern and Eastern Australia as well as Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Pacific Islands.
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They prefer deep water where aquatic plants and insects are in plentiful supply.
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They are gregarious ducks and like to congregate in flocks – they get their name from the almost continuous whistling calls they make while in the air – their wings also make a whistling sound as they fly.
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These ducks are not endangered, but loss of habitat to agriculture may affect them in the future.
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Ducks of various species make calls that are not the expected quack, from high-pitched whistles to deep grunting quacks to staccato ‘teets’.
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And yes, duck quacks do echo!
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Poem © Liz Brownlee
Facts, Wiki, Birds in Back Yards.
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- Posted in: A-Z Challenge 2014
- Tagged: A-Z Challenge, animal, birds,, duck, fascinating facts, funny, magic, photos, poetry, science
lizbrownlee - poet 
Wow. That’s pretty neat! I never heard of this duck. I have found a bird I don’t hate! Yay!
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I’m glad to hear that!
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I have never heard of these ducks, Liz. I love your little poem – it helps to focus the bird in a humorous way. Thanks for checking in on my post too – good to ‘see’ you. All the best with your challenge. 🙂
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Thanks, Linda – almost at the end, now!
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This was a lovely start to the day – and the OH likes it too. He has an affinity with ducks – his name is Donald!
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Oooh, hello, Donald!
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I was down near the Nidd today enjoying some ducks, so this made me smile even more. I confess I’d not heard of a whistling duck before. What an interesting noise that must be.
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