White-cheeked whitethroat duck

"When danger is imminent, the white-cheeked velvet duck remains rigidly still."

Witwang fluiteend

  • Dendrocygna viduata

    Scientific name

  • Zoetwatermoerassen, merenen rijstvelden

    Habitat

  • Planten, zaden, insecten en weekdieren

    Food

  • 10 - 20 jaar

    Lifetime

  • 550 - 800 gram

    Weight

  • 71 tot 92 cm

    Height

  • 6 tot 12 eieren

    Number of youngsters

  • 26 tot 28 dagen

    Incubation time

  • Veilig

    IUCN Status

  • Nee

    EEP

Wist je dat?

  • 4

    weeks, that's how long it takes for the young to hatch

  • 800

    grams, that's how heavy the white-cheeked velvet duck can get

  • 12

    eggs the female lays a maximum at a time

A little privacy

White-cheeked velvet ducks live in large groups of sometimes more than a thousand ducks together. When they start breeding, they often seek their own place away from the group. A male and female usually stay together as a pair for their entire lives. Together they make a nest and take care of the young.

Special sound

White-cheeked whitetails look for food mainly at night. They often enter the water and dive headfirst to find food. With their beaks, they search for aquatic plants, insects and small shellfish. While searching for food, the ducks keep in touch with each other by whistling. The white-cheeked whiting duck gets its name from this characteristic three-tone whistle as well as from the white front of its head.

Want to know more about IUCN status or the EEP? Clickhere.