If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and… whistles like a song bird? Could it possibly still be a duck? Yes, quite definitely it is a duck, Dendrocygna autumnalis in the family, Anatidae, to be exact. So much for the "duck test"!
According to whatbird.com, "The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is an unusual species among North American waterfowl. With its long legs, peculiar appearance, and odd habits, it was described by one early American ornithologist as 'most un-duck-like.'”
Black-bellied whistling ducks really don't quack. They make a whistling sound that may be described as "pe che che ne." They make a particularly stunning sight when in flight as the white feathers on the top of their wings stand out.
These ducks spend the winters further to the south. They began to return to the San Antonio River in late April. This set of photos was taken on my walk on Wednesday, July 4 on the recently opened segment of the Mission Reach:
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