The
Black-bellied Whistling Duck or Black-bellied Whistling-Duck(Dendrocygna
autumnalis), formerly also called Black-bellied Tree Duck, is a whistling duck
that breeds from the southernmost United Statesand tropical Central to
south-central South America. In the USA, it can be found year-round in parts of
southeast Texas, and seasonally in southeastArizona, and Louisiana's Gulf
Coast. It is a rare breeder in such disparate locations as Florida, Arkansas, Georgia
and South Carolina. There is a large population of several hundred that winter
each year in Audubon Park in uptown New Orleans, Louisiana.
It is widely
known as pijije (also pixixi or pichichi), chiriría or sirirí in Latin America,
though this can also refer to other whistling-ducks and a qualifyer such as ala
blanca or aliblanco ("white-winged") is usually added to signify this
species. In Mexico, it is also called pato maízal ("cornfield duck")
due to its habit of visiting such fields after harvest. And since it is one of
only two whistling-duck species native to North America, it is occasionally
just known as the "whistling duck" in the southern USA.
The
Black-bellied Whistling Duck is an unusual species among North American
waterfowl. With its long legs, peculiar appearance and odd habits, it was
described by one early American ornithologist[who?] as "most
un-duck-like". Its numbers are increasing in North America.
