Yellow Whistling Goose
| Yellow Whistling Goose | ||||||||||||
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Yellow Whistling Goose ( Dendrocygna bicolor ) |
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| Dendrocygna bicolor | ||||||||||||
| ( Vieillot , 1816) |
The yellow whistling goose ( Dendrocygna bicolor ), also called the yellow breasted whistling goose , is a species of the duck bird family . It is native to Central and South America, the southern coastal region of North America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Sub-Saharan Africa , Madagascar and the Indian subcontinent . It shows one of the most unusual distributions of birds in the world: it is not only native to four continents, but also in four different zoogeographic zones. It is particularly common in large troops in the Niger Delta and the Senegal Delta .
Yellow whistling geese are common birds whose population is nowhere acutely endangered. They are characterized by a very strong migratory instinct and have also been observed in southern Europe. Due to the strong migratory instinct, subspecies have not developed so far. However, due to the tendency to migrate, this whistling goose species gives up traditionally populated areas again or the population is declining regionally.
Appearance
Yellow whistling geese show no sexual dimorphism ; the male is only slightly larger than the female and the plumage of the female is slightly more dull. Both sexes weigh around 700 grams. The body length is 48 to 53 centimeters. Whistling geese are long-legged ducks. Their overall appearance is more goose than duck-like.
The bill of the yellow whistling goose is long and gray in color. The head has an elongated shape. The head, chest and flanks are colored clay yellow, while the tail and wings are plumed with maroon. A white "V" separates the dark tail feathers and the fuselage, which is clearly visible in flight. The chicks show a dark gray downy dress on the head and top. The underside of the body as well as a wide neck band and the facial drawing are colored dirty white.
Habitat and way of life
Yellow whistling geese prefer different tropical and subtropical waters. In regions where rice is grown, it can often be observed in the vicinity of rice fields or similarly structured marshland. In Africa it can often be seen on the wide savannah lakes. In South America, in piranha-occupied waters, it prefers those with a high population of resting trees.
Depending on its range, it is a short-range migrant. Some of the populations native to Florida overwinter in Cuba and some of those breeding in California and Texas in Mexico. The migration of US populations south begins in August through late September. The return falls between February and March. However, the Californian breeding population has been declining sharply since the 1950s and is now considered to have almost completely disappeared.
voice
Yellow whistling geese have a conspicuous whistling call, which, similar to the widow whistling geese, they often let out. The call is reminiscent of a kiii-wiii-uuh .
Reproduction
The nest is built in dense swamp or marsh vegetation. It is often found on the water. Occasionally the yellow whistling goose also nests in tree hollows. Yellow Whistling Geese are non-territorial even during the breeding season and occasionally breed in loose colonies. The clutch of the yellow whistling goose consists of 6 to 16 white eggs. They are incubated by both parent birds for 24 to 26 days. The hatched chicks fledged after 63 days.
Systematics
The exact relationships of the whistling geese are as follows:
| Whistling Geese (Dendrocygninae) |
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Individual references, literature and web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kolbe, p. 325
- ↑ Gooders and Boyer, p. 11
- ↑ Kolbe, p. 63
- ↑ Christopher S. Smith: Field Guide to Upland Birds and Waterfowl , Wilderness Adventure Press, Belgrade (Montana) 2000, ISBN 1-885106-20-3 , p. 76
- ↑ Kolbe, p. 63
- ↑ Alderfer, p. 3
- ↑ Gooders and Boyers, pp. 11 and 12
literature
- Jonathan Alderfer (Ed.): Complete Birds of North America , National Geographic, Washington DC 2006, ISBN 0-7922-4175-4
- T. Bartlett: Ducks And Geese - A Guide To Management. The Crowood Press, 2002, ISBN 1-85223-650-7
- John Gooders and Trevor Boyer: Ducks of Britain and the Northern Hemisphere , Dragon's World Ltd, Surrey 1986, ISBN 1-85028-022-3
- Hartmut Kolbe: The world's ducks. Ulmer Verlag 1999, ISBN 3-8001-7442-1
Web links
- Dendrocygna bicolor in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 30 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Dendrocygna bicolor in the Internet Bird Collection