
Lesser Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna javanica
Also known as: Indian Whistling Duck, Javan Whistling Duck
About This Species
Gathers in large, tightly packed flocks on ponds, flooded fields and marshes, often resting through the day and becoming active at dusk when its high, whistling calls carry across the water. The whistling in flight, especially at twilight, is one of the most distinctive ways to identify it even before the birds are visible. Numbers build noticeably during the dry season when birds concentrate on remaining wetlands.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep to the shoreline or a hide and avoid wading into the water, since flushing a resting flock repeatedly can force birds to abandon a otherwise good feeding site.
- Wetland bird protections differ across the countries it occurs in, so treat any posted reserve rules as the minimum standard.
- Approaching slowly and staying low reduces the chance of scattering the flock unnecessarily.
LCAvesAnseriformesAnatidae
Seasonal Activity
275,553 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
Photo
(c) Saurabh Agrawal, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Saurabh Agrawal
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.