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Lesser Whistling Duck
Dendrocygna javanica
Lesser Tree Duck, Whistling Teal,
Itek Belibis/Belibis Kembang (Malay)

lesser whistling duck in a treeCalled whistling ducks because of their call, they are also sometimes called tree ducks because they sometimes nest in tree holes!

Lesser Whistling Ducks eat mostly water plants, nibbling on their seeds and shoots. They also snack on insects and aquatic invertebrates.

lesser whistling duck on waterLesser Whistling Ducks eat aquatic vegetation by dabbling on the water surface in shallow water. Like other waterfowl, they have a highly sensitive, fleshy tongue which has a spiny surface. To efficiently sift for edible titbits, the tongue is worked against rows of horny lamellae that line the mandibles. This produces the typical chattering sound of feeding waterfowl. They also dive frequently for underwater titbits. Lesser Whistling Ducks feed mostly at night, in small family groups.
Mangrove and wetland wildlife at
Sungei Buloh Nature Park
Main features: Medium (40cm). Dark brown cap on pale buffy head and neck; flanks pale; upperparts brown scaled buff; bill and feet slaty blue. Wing lining, rump and upper tail coverts dark chestnut. Flight feathers black. Genders look alike.
lesser whistling duck on land
Juveniles: Duller brown especially below, pale fringing dorsally.

Call: Described as a three-note whistle, the last note highest pitched and prolonged. In flight, keep together with a seasick or cheese-wick call.

In flight: Uniformly dark except for chestnut rump and scapulars. Long neck droops below body, wings round and broad. Flies in loose packs or chevron skeins.

Similar bird: Wandering Whistling Duck (D. arcuata) which is often found together with the Lesser. The Wandering is less commonly seen, larger, darker, has long white flank plumes and a white U-shaped band on its rump.

Status in Singapore: Uncommon resident, mainly along the coasts, concentrated in North and West, also on Pulau Tekong island.

World distribution: India to Southern China and Southeast Asia including Borneo.

Classification: Family Dendrocygnidae (Whistling Ducks). World 9 species, Singapore 1 species. The Lesser is the only one of the genus found in Singapore. From the Order Anseriformes (water fowl with webbed feet).
Shy and nervous, they fly off at the slightest hint of danger. A flock will fly quickly, and in a direct manner, usually in chevron formation. This duck flies like a goose with its long neck sticking out and drooping below the body, and wings beating rapidly.

Lesser Whistling Ducks are different from other ducks in having longer legs, a squarish head and an erect goose-like posture when alert. Their wings are also rounder and broader. Unlike other ducks, males and females look similar, and there is no special breeding plumage.

Lesser Whistling Ducks prefer freshwater wetlands where their favourite food grows and where there is sufficient thick vegetation to hide in. They are mostly found in ponds, reservoirs, marshes, and rarely in brackish wetlands. In Sungei Buloh, they are found in the freshwater ponds of the Park.

Breeding: Lesser Whistling Ducks are the only ducks to breed in Singapore. A pair of courting Lesser Whistling Ducks will rush across the water erect, with one wing raised. Unlike other birds which only need cloacal contact, in waterfowl, the males have a distinct erectile penis. Mating often takes place with genitals underwater.

lesser whistling duck Lesser Whistling Ducks prefer a nest site near freshwater with dense vegetation nearby where their chicks can immediately reach the water after hatching. Usually in a bed of tall reeds, sometimes in a hollow log, or even an abandoned heron's nest. They build a shallow cup of grass, on or close to the ground. They may rearrange surrounding vegetation to form a roof with a side-entrance. Sometimes they nest in trees. 10-12 creamy white eggs are laid. If the nest is closer to the ground, parents will distract predators by faking a broken wing and moving away from the nest

Migration: Most Lesser Whistling Ducks are resident, but in some places particularly in the past, numbers swell during winter, suggesting some degree of migration. They also do move from away from unsuitable habitats to more suitable ones.

Status and threats: Although common elsewhere, Lesser Whistling Ducks are endangered in Singapore. They were never common even in the past, and currently, there are not more than 200 left in Singapore. They are threatened mainly by habitat loss, disturbance and poaching. They are also hunted: shot or caught by nets strung across ponds. Fortunately, they appear to take readily to suitable habitats, even those which are man-made (e.g., park ponds).

LINKS
REFERENCES
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Nature's Niche
  • Morten Strange, "A Photographic Guide to Birds of Malaysia and Singapore: including Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Borneo", Periplus, 2000 (p. 62: description, voice, habits, distribution, status, photo).
  • Morten Strange, "Tropical Birds of Malaysia and Singapore", Periplus Editions, 2000 (p. 9: habits, habitat, photo).
  • David R Wells, "The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 1 (Non-Passarines)", Academic Press, 1999 (p. 28-29: identification, distribution map, habits, habitat, migration, conservation).
  • Lim Kim Seng and Dana Gardner, "Birds: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore", Sun Tree Publishing Ltd., 1997 (p. 25: identification, status in Singapore, distribution, diagram).
  • G W H Davison and Chew Yen Fook, "A Photographic Guide to Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore", New Holland, 1995 (p. 21: identification, status in Singapore, distribution, photo).
  • Peter K L Ng (ed.), "A Guide to the Threatened Animals of Singapore", BP Science Centre, 1995 (p. 130: photo, habitat, threats).
  • Morten Strange and Allen Jeyarajasingam, "Birds: A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore", Sun Tree, 1993 (p. 72: description, distribution, habits, habitat, photo).
  • P K L Ng and Y C Wee (ed.), "The Singapore Red Data Book", The Nature Society, 1994 (p. 231: habits, habitat, status in Singapore).
  • Lim Kim Seng, "Vanishing Birds of Singapore", Nature Society (Singapore), 1992 (p. 21-22: distribution and status in Singapore; fact sheet on all aspects).
  • Lim Kim Seng, "Pocket Checklist of the Birds of the Republic of Singapore", Nature Society (Singapore), 1999 (Abundance, status, Chinese and Malay names).
  • G C Madoc, "An Introduction to Malayan Birds", Malayan Nature Society, 1947 (p. 30-31: description, habits, habitat).
  • Sir John A S Bucknill and E N Chasen, "Birds of Singapore and South-East Asia", Tynron Press, 1927, edition 1990 (p. 77: brief mention).
 
By Ria Tan, 2001