Birds · Anseriformes · Anatidae

White-faced Whistling-Duck

Dendrocygna viduata

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A whistling duck with a very distinctive white face that contrasts with the rest of the plumage. Both sexes are alike. It has a slender body and a long neck, with the upright posture typical of Dendrocygna, which gives it more the air of a goose than a duck.

Weight

700 g on average

Size

50 cm on average

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterHerbivore Nocturnal In pairs Bird Freshwater

16countries 18parks42same family

Fun facts

Its Spanish name, suirirí, is onomatopoeic and comes from its call: in Argentina they are commonly seen in full night flight giving a "sirirí, sirirí" that carries a long way.
It is one of the few ducks with markedly nocturnal habits.
It lives on both sides of the Atlantic, in the Americas and in Africa, a distribution uncommon among the ducks.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Wetlands of the Americas and Africa. In the New World it reaches north to Costa Rica and possibly Nicaragua, and to the south occupies Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and the Amazon basin as far as central Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and central and northern Argentina. West of the Andes it reaches Ecuador and Peru, with records in Chile
Gestation / incubation: 27 days
Litter / clutch size: 8

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List (BirdLife International 2016); Monteleone y Pagano 2022, Listado de las Aves Argentinas (Aves Argentinas AOP); Wikipedia (Dendrocygna viduata); Bernis et al. 1994, Ardeola (nombres castellanos SEO)