Howards View: Black-bellied whistling ducks in Cape May

Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Photo credit: Howard B. Eskin
By Howard Eskin: "A trio of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks was feeding near the bird blind on the Lighthouse Pool at Cape May again this morning. The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) is a striking and gregarious duck of the Neotropics. It usually reaches the United States only in the very southern parts. It breeds from tropical central to south-central South America but it can also be found year-round in parts of southeast Texas and seasonally in southeast Arizona and Louisiana's Gulf Coast. It is a rare breeder in such disparate locations as Florida, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina. With its long neck, long legs, black belly, and white wing patch it makes a distinctive-looking waterfowl."




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