Fulvous Whistling-duck

The fulvous whistling-duck breeds across tropical regions of the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. It is mainly reddish brown with long legs and a long grey bill, 45 to 53cm long, and shows a white band across its black tail in flight. It whistles in flight and on the ground, and favours wetlands with plentiful vegetation, including shallow lakes and paddy fields (Wikipedia, general species account).

The unlined nest is placed in dense vegetation or a tree hole, with a typical clutch of about ten whitish eggs. The pair bonds for life and both partners take turns incubating, with eggs hatching in 24 to 29 days. It feeds by day or night on seeds and other plant parts and is sometimes a pest in rice.