DESCRIPTION The Lesser Whistling Duck, also known as Indian Whistling Duck is a species of Whistling Duck that breeds in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Both sexes of the Lesser Whistling Duck are similar in appearance. An adult Lesser Whistling Duck can reach from 38 to 40 cm in length with a maximum weight of about 600 grams.
DIET: The main diet of the Lesser Whistling Duck is aquatic vegetation, supplemented by grass, rice, freshwater snails, insects and frogs. Small groups can often be seen foraging in dense, emergent vegetation. Feeding mostly occurs at night. In the daytime, it will swim or take a rest and sleep on the tree near the shoreline.
BREEDING: Lesser Whistling Ducks have an extended breeding season which peaks with the tropical rainy season. During courtship the male will face the female and raise and dip his bill in the water and swim around the female. Once paired these birds are monogamous and form life-time bonds. Nests are built near freshwater as scrapes in the ground, typically hidden in vegetation. Tree hollows and abandoned raptor, heron, stork or crow nests are also used. A clutch of 7 to 12 cream-white eggs is typically laid and is incubated by both parents for 26 to 30 days. Chicks fledge typically after 45 to 50 days after hatching. Both adult birds tend to the young, and chicks can often be seen on the backs of their parents. Being highly gregarious, Lesser Whistling Ducks often breed in loose colonies.
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