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Status: Population size: 15,000

West Indian Whistling-Duck
(Dendrocygna arborea)

As its name suggest, the West Indian Whistling-Duck has a distribution confined to the Caribbean and it has a distinctive whistling vocalization. Interpretations of this whistled call have given rise to a number of local names for the species including "Chiriria", a Spanish name used in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately this species, the only endemic waterfowl to the Caribbean, though once common now has a fragmented distribution and greatly reduced population.

Identification
All species of whistling-duck are large, long-legged and long-necked ducks that frequently are seen standing erect unlike most other duck species. Also unlike most other ducks, this species is often seen standing in trees or palms. West Indian Whistling-Duck is the largest of the whistling-ducks with a dark brown upper body and breast and a light belly with dark spots on flanks. The face, chin, and sides of the upper throat are whitish with back of head and neck dark brown. The most similar-appearing species within the Caribbean range is the Fulvous Whistling-Duck which is smaller with a tawny face and underparts and a white stripe on the side.

Distribution and Population Trends
Once widespread throughout the Caribbean including the Bahamas, Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles the species is now restricted to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Cayman, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Antigua, and Barbuda. Cuba has the largest population but few broad-scale surveys have been completed and its nocturnal habits make observation difficult. In Puerto Rico the species is thought to number no more than 100 birds.

Ecology
During the day this species roosts in flocks in mangroves and swamps. In evening, birds fly out to feed on fruits, berries, and seeds including its apparently preferred food of Royal Palm fruits and sometimes on grains in agricultural fields. Nests are often above ground in palm trees, bromeliads, or nest cavities but in some areas also builds nests on the ground. It lays 4-16 eggs, generally in the period June-October but with some variability across Caribbean range. The bird is apparently quite sedentary and does not migrate.

Threats
Greatest threats have been from hunting and loss and degradation of wetland habitats though latter threat is probably of greatest concern in more recent times. Introduced predators may be of concern in some areas as is the custom of taking eggs for food and keeping of birds as pets.

Conservation
The species is officially protected on a number of islands but there is little enforcement and hunting continues. The West Indian Whistling-Duck Working Group of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds has been working since 1996 to develop a conservation project focused on the species and its wetland habitats. The group received funding in 1999 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service International Program for a public awareness program including the printing and distribution of duck identification cards, the publication of a education resource book entitled "Wondrous West Indian Wetlands," and many other activities. The working group has also spearheaded survey and monitoring work throughout the West Indies.

What Can You Do?
Volunteers are crucial to the success of programs that monitor the status of populations of West Indian Whistling-Duck and other bird species. Audubon's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is one of the longest-running citizen-science monitoring programs in the world and has helped to follow changes in the numbers and distribution of many bird species. To learn more about the CBC and how you can participate in CBCs in the Caribbean visit: http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.

Audubon is the U.S. representative of the global BirdLife International alliance. Our BirdLife partners in the Caribbean are developing Important Bird Areas programs to identify and conserve critical habitats that support birds and other wildlife. For more information on BirdLife IBA efforts throughout the Americas visit: http://www.birdlife.net/sites/index.cfm

Become a member of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds. See http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/SCO/.

References
BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.

Garrido, O. H., and A. Kirkconnell. 2000. Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. Cornell University Press, Ithaca.

Madge, S., and H. Burn. 1988. Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.

Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

Sorenson, L.G., and P. Bradley. 2000. Update on the "West Indian Whistling-Duck (WIWD) and Wetlands Conservation Project"- Report from the WIWD Working Group. El Pitirre 13(2):57-63.