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Saturday, June 10, 2006
 

Black-Bellied Whistling Duck in Maryland


Sometimes birds wind up in unexpected places. It's one of the greatest treats in birding, to wake up one day and hear on the grapevine or, more specifically, the MDOsprey listserv, that some bird that usually doesn't stray from Florida or California or Canada has dropped into our neighborhood.



The word is for this 'extralimital', and it happens for a number of reasons. The most common, I believe, is that birds somehow get caught in a storm or a weather front that pushes them out of their normal range. It is certainly common for migrating birds to surf a weather front up or down make their trip a little easier, and hurricanes and storms coming off the ocean commonly blow seabirds close to shore. It's kind of funny, actually, to picture a little duck taking a short flight back to his nest, getting caught in some wind and ending up across the country...

Also common are 'irruptions', where many individuals of a single species are found in faraway places. Late last year hundreds of Cave Swallows, normally residing in Texas, wound up in the Northeast. It appears that the same thing may be happening now, but with a different species. Today I went up to Gaithersburg, MD to have a look at a bird who, for one reason or another, is about a thousand miles away from it's normal home: a Black-Bellied Whistling Duck.



Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks are small, gooselike ducks that usually reside in tropical areas from extreme southern Texas down through the Amazon rainforests in Brazil. They are chocolate brown with a grey face and (you guessed it) a black belly. Whistling ducks, of which there are two species which can be found in the US (black-bellied and fulvous), get their name from the high-pitched whistle-y call. The black-bellied duck is one of the few US ducks that perches and nests in trees.



A beautiful bird, and very approachable. The duck landed at a small pond behind the Rio & Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, MD. The pond is already home to at least 50 tame Canada Geese and Mallards, and the BBWD seems to enjoy very much the relaxed atmosphere of the pond, as well as the frequent feedings from kids with bread or popcorn.

Actually, many birders have raised the question of whether or not the duck seems a little too comfortable. There is an issue as to whether or not the bird is an escapee from a local breeder or zoo. Since there are no leg bands or clipped wings, the focus of the detective work on this bird has fallen on the nails of the back toes. Cutting the toenails or part of the back toe off a bird to mark it as captive is a common occurrence, and the Rio bird does not appear to have any toenails on its hind toes. Here's a picture I took this morning:



Now, just because this bird doesn't have toenails does not necessarily mean that it's an escapee. There is discussion (without resolution as of yet) that female BBWD have very small, colorless nails. Additionally, some birders see the Rio bird as having 'nubs' which may be caused from the wear of standing on rocks all day.

The most important piece of evidence to support this bird being wild (and therefore countable under ABA rules) is a flock of 12 BBWDs that appeared on a farm in Suffolk, VA yesterday. This occurrence, which is just as rare as a single bird in Maryland, could mean that we are in the middle of an irruption. Whatever the case, it's a beautiful bird and one that is very rarely found in this part of the world. If you are reading this and haven't had a chance to see the bird, to do before he catches another storm and ends up in Alaska.

 
Comments:
Congratulations on the life bird!
 
Thanks, John. If you haven't gotten up to see it yet you should. It's a beautiful bird and you can have margaritas while you watch it...
 
Thanks for the wonderful info. We have two of these birds suddenly living in our front yard tree, with a large knot hole they appear to have in use. I searched the web looking to identify them, which I did and then found your posting. They seem very comfortable just sitting around and are beauitful to watch. Elgin, Texas
 
I have two of these birds living on my ranch here in Texas. They drop in to mingle with our chickens in their coop. They share the scratch and feed, have some water and just hang out. They are very approachable.
 
Hi, I love Blackbelly ducks and have been observing them and their behaviour for 6 years here in Central Coastal Florida. They are year round here.

Oh, there are 2 types of Blackbellies: The Greater and the Lesser. The Greater is the one found in south Texas, but they are also at Brackenridge Park in San Antonio, Tx. in the summer. They come mainly from Argentina and are, ARE the size of a goose. Because of it, the Blackbelly is considered a GOOSE/DUCK.

The Lesser Blackbelly comes from upper South America and mainly from Pine Key, (first island of the Lower Keys, FL. He's smaller but the same color and same behaviour. We had the Greater when we first moved to E. Viera, FL in 2002 They appeared again in early 2003. They flew out in late Oct each oft those years and back in March (it's winter in S. America during this time). We figured something natural for feeding got them off their migration route. There were 101 of them in our yard every day during those years.

In mid 2003 on, we have had the LESSER Black belly. He's smaller but just like the Greater in every respect, including behaviour. They breed March to June but sometimes earlier. If it's a bad breed they'll breed again. Ducks are notorious at egg-dumping.

The photo you have is of a very young Blackbelly. Both sexes are EXACTLY ALIKE in color and features ..and in BEHAVIOUR! This one shown is less than 1 year old. She doesn't have her color in her legs or her beak yet. You mentioned toenails. These are tree ducks and they love shallow water with large limb oaks and pines or trees like that. So, it could be that she hasn't developed all her toenails yet.

They're very assertive even with each other. Hyped out after hunting all night. They fly together saying their 2 syllable when in parade. When welcoming or about to land they go to their 6 and 7 syllable song. They have the sweetest music of the night and it fills the morning pre-dawn air for miles and miles and miles when they are around.

These ducks are being counted as a year round duck in Florida at our duck center in Fellmore, FL. I gave them pics of one and what I knew then. But now I know so much more about them. Our house opens to the lake and woods here in E. Viera and watching them is inevitable, even when working.

We miss them. They left Sat. while I was gone. But the non-breeders sat with us until they matured. It's breeding time. They actually were helping protect a mottled duck's 9 ducklings on the lake from a small gator and other things they thought would be harmful. They'd surround her or move her to another place and do some sweet singing to her..that's why I knew they weren't being aggressive but trying to help her protect them along with the Roe (male) mottled duck that was watchingi in our yard. She did bring them over.. they're not down anymore, but those black-bellies respect babies. So did the sandhills. Most birds do. Except the predators of little eggs and babies..eagles, hawks..gators, panthers, bobcats and raccoons around our area!

The Duck Center with an inflatable and small motor in the winter Dec. and Jan. and the Merritt Island Wildlife refuge in mid December and all of January , there are hundreds of thousands of colonial (flocking) birds and exotics migrating and nesting. But it's CEDAR KEY ISLAND, FL in the Cedar Key Island National Wildlife Refuge where the colonials truly nest. We saw them this weekend.. thousands of them nest from March to June there.

It's nice to know someone wants to help these Blackbellies. The Feds have restored the pines in Pine Key (Lower Keys), Fl trying to get these birds to prosper more. they're killed for hunting and eating (I heard they were sweet meat) and die from deforestation. no place to nest. they need small grasses, shallow water and woods of pines and oaks types to thrive.
 
Hi, I love Blackbelly ducks and have been observing them and their behaviour for 6 years here in Central Coastal Florida. They are year round here.

Oh, there are 2 types of Blackbellies: The Greater and the Lesser. The Greater is the one found in south Texas, but they are also at Brackenridge Park in San Antonio, Tx. in the summer. They come mainly from Argentina and are, ARE the size of a goose. Because of it, the Blackbelly is considered a GOOSE/DUCK.

The Lesser Blackbelly comes from upper South America and mainly from Pine Key, (first island of the Lower Keys, FL. He's smaller but the same color and same behaviour. We had the Greater when we first moved to E. Viera, FL in 2002 They appeared again in early 2003. They flew out in late Oct each oft those years and back in March (it's winter in S. America during this time). We figured something natural for feeding got them off their migration route. There were 101 of them in our yard every day during those years.

In mid 2003 on, we have had the LESSER Black belly. He's smaller but just like the Greater in every respect, including behaviour. They breed March to June but sometimes earlier. If it's a bad breed they'll breed again. Ducks are notorious at egg-dumping.

The photo you have is of a very young Blackbelly. Both sexes are EXACTLY ALIKE in color and features ..and in BEHAVIOUR! This one shown is less than 1 year old. She doesn't have her color in her legs or her beak yet. You mentioned toenails. These are tree ducks and they love shallow water with large limb oaks and pines or trees like that. So, it could be that she hasn't developed all her toenails yet.

They're very assertive even with each other. Hyped out after hunting all night. They fly together saying their 2 syllable when in parade. When welcoming or about to land they go to their 6 and 7 syllable song. They have the sweetest music of the night and it fills the morning pre-dawn air for miles and miles and miles when they are around.

These ducks are being counted as a year round duck in Florida at our duck center in Fellmore, FL. I gave them pics of one and what I knew then. But now I know so much more about them. Our house opens to the lake and woods here in E. Viera and watching them is inevitable, even when working.

We miss them. They left Sat. while I was gone. But the non-breeders sat with us until they matured. It's breeding time. They actually were helping protect a mottled duck's 9 ducklings on the lake from a small gator and other things they thought would be harmful. They'd surround her or move her to another place and do some sweet singing to her..that's why I knew they weren't being aggressive but trying to help her protect them along with the Roe (male) mottled duck that was watchingi in our yard. She did bring them over.. they're not down anymore, but those black-bellies respect babies. So did the sandhills. Most birds do. Except the predators of little eggs and babies..eagles, hawks..gators, panthers, bobcats and raccoons around our area!

The Duck Center with an inflatable and small motor in the winter Dec. and Jan. and the Merritt Island Wildlife refuge in mid December and all of January , there are hundreds of thousands of colonial (flocking) birds and exotics migrating and nesting. But it's CEDAR KEY ISLAND, FL in the Cedar Key Island National Wildlife Refuge where the colonials truly nest. We saw them this weekend.. thousands of them nest from March to June there.

It's nice to know someone wants to help these Blackbellies. The Feds have restored the pines in Pine Key (Lower Keys), Fl trying to get these birds to prosper more. they're killed for hunting and eating (I heard they were sweet meat) and die from deforestation. no place to nest. they need small grasses, shallow water and woods of pines and oaks types to thrive.
 
My daughter just called and she lives in the Champions area of NW Houston and they have some in their elm trees. Excitement for the little boys.
 
I live in missouri and we have one on the lake that I live at. It just show up one day, and has been stay around my house. It is a very lovely duck to see.
 
I live in Northeast Louisiana and we saw two Black Bellied Whistling Ducks on Bouef River. Which is in Northeast La. The ducks were beautiful. We had never seen that species! I hope the hunters don't kill them.
 
Hi,
I've studied Blackbellies for nearly 8 years. The Big One, called the Greater Blackbelly is from Argentina and they do migrate to Texas. Annually, they're found even in Brackenridge Park in San Antonio, Tx. in the late spring and summer and most of fall.

Here in Central East Coast Florida they have been native for DECADES. But these are the LESSER blackbellies and they originally are from the Keys, mainly Big Pine Key, Fl.

Yes, the Feds have tried to reforest,b ut the pines are TINY there. The natives don't like that Pine Key has been limited in building because it's a national Wildlife refuge. (Tough!)

Have them in my yard because I feed and let it grow in my yard. But the last 2 weeks, they've been gone. We have otters, panther, bobcat, and gators. They will return with either, but they move downstream from gators, and HATE OTTERS. They leave and don't return until the next day with panther, bobcat or otter. They and racoons get along as long as there is space between them.

The one you've pictured is a LESSER Black belly duck from Big Pine Key, Fl. He is a young duck, probably under 1 year old. When born, they are drabby brown/beige and as they mature they begin to get the black and lastly the white on their wings.
Their legs and beaks turn BRILLIANT ORANGE once mature. When small, their peripherals are grey/beige. As you can see, this one is beginning to turn pink/salmon going toward Brilliant orange.
That tells me this is a non-breeder at the moment and is less than 1 year old.

Also, these ducks can get feisty. They come in singing and if they are among other flocks of Blackbellies, they fly, fight, get very noise with their whistlings. And they calm down. One flock will move somewhere down stream or leave. But birds ALWAYS know where each other flocks are. They return for their own and meet in the skies.

These, like the FUlCRUM DUCK which is also a whistler, ARE NOCTURNAL,which means they are more active and feed aggressively during the night. I've seen the Longhorn Owls chase one and didn't get him. I've seen them napping in my yard, feeding lazily on corn and a hawk tries for one. THE WHOLE FLOCK got on top of that hawk and pecked persistently. This was a BIG RED TAil hawk.

Between them, my Great Dane Willy, and me, the hawk had to let him go and fly.

They are FEISTY and I love them so. I'm wondering if they're nesting. I'm hoping for them to return. Even when they didn't stop at my house, EVERY MORNING that they weren't here, they'd fly over my veranda screen to say hello.

These ducks are true GUARDS and WATCHDOGS. Argentinians use the greater Wood duck as watchdogs.

They have been found in a pair or so in Georgia, N.C. and Virginia. Haven't read of any so far as Maryland.

Florida is raping land, and treat pines as weeds. Trying to keep them, but even Brevard is WASTING their natural BEAUTy and their exotic birds and animals. When they're all gone, We'll move.
The results will be Traumatic in consequence for South Central East Coast Florida.

So much more I could tell you.. but it would take a book.

Watcher
 
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