Whistled goose
| Whistled goose | ||||||||||||
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Spotted Whistler Goose ( Dendrocygna guttata ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dendrocygna guttata | ||||||||||||
| Schlegel , 1866 |
The spotted whistle goose ( Dendrocygna guttata ) is a medium-sized species from the subfamily of the whistling geese . The name is given by the striking stippling on the sides of the fuselage. It occurs on Mindanao , Sulawesi , the Moluccas , the Tanimbar Islands , the lowlands of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago . This species is one of the most common ducks in New Guinea.
description
When fully grown, spotted whistle geese reach a length of 42 to 50 centimeters and a weight of around 800 g. Their plumage is brownish, the head gray. The belly is marked with large, round spots. In young birds the drawing is more blurred, with white, dark-edged feathers on the flanks. Like the other species of whistling geese , they have long legs and large webbed feet. There is no pronounced gender dimorphism .
Habitat and way of life
Their preferred habitat are shallow fresh waters in the lowlands and coastal regions all year round. They prefer regions that are surrounded by trees. Their resting places are branches protruding above the water surface and the leafy crowns of trees. The breeding season in New Guinea begins after the onset of the rainy season in August and September, but extends over many months. The respective clutch is incubated for between 28 and 30 days. In captive potted pipeline geese, a clutch comprises between six to 12 eggs. The young birds fledge in the seventh week after hatching and are sexually mature from the age of 2.
The whistled goose feeds mainly on the green parts of aquatic plants and the seeds of sedge.
Systematics
The more precise relationships within the whistling geese look like this:
| Whistling Geese (Dendrocygninae) |
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Danger
Reliable population information is not available about the species. Hartmut Kolbe estimated in 1999 that it is less than 25,000 individuals. The IUCN lists the species as not endangered
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kolbe, p. 60
- ↑ Dendrocygna guttata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed November 17 of 2009.
literature
- T. Bartlett: Ducks And Geese - A Guide To Management. The Crowood Press, 2002, ISBN 1-852236507
- Hartmut Kolbe: The world's ducks. Ulmer Verlag 1999, ISBN 3-8001-7442-1
- Josep del Hoyo et al. a .: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, 1992, ISBN 84-87334-10-5 .
