Lesser Whistling-Duck

Lesser Whistling-Duck

Dendrocygna javanica

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Bangkok

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

552 Verified sightings at Bangkok
6,676 In all 20 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Lesser Whistling-Duck

The lesser whistling duck (Dendrocygna javanica), also known as Indian whistling duck or lesser whistling teal, is a species of whistling duck that breeds in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal feeders that during the day may be found in flocks around lakes and wet paddy fields. They can perch on trees and sometimes build their nest in the hollow of a tree. This brown and long-necked duck has broad wings that are visible in flight and produces a loud two-note wheezy call. It has a chestnut rump, differentiating it from its larger relative, the fulvous whistling duck, which has a creamy white rump.

This chestnut brown duck is confusable only with the fulvous whistling duck (D. bicolor) but has chestnut upper-tail coverts unlike the creamy white in the latter. The ring around the eye is orange to yellow. When flying straight, their head is held below the level of the body as in other Dendrocygna species. The crown appears dark and the sexes are alike in plumage. They fly slowly but with rapid wing-flapping and usually produce a repetitive wheezy seasick call as they circle overhead. They are very nocturnal and often rest during the day. The... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:11

Thailand · 2023

© FREDERIC Lionel · XC845372 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:23

India · 2022

© Ding Li Yong · XC772636 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Drumming0:30

Thailand · 2021

© Peter Ericsson · XC690698 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~70%
2 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
3 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
4 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
5 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
6 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
7 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
8 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
10 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
11 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~20%
12 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
13 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
14 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
15 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
16 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
17 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
18 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
19 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
20 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Savar 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~60%
2 Ponnani 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Indore 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
6 Durg 🇮🇳 India
~30%
7 Patna 🇮🇳 India
~30%
8 Asansol 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Kollam 🇮🇳 India
~20%
10 Bhopal 🇮🇳 India
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Leipzig Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
2 Walsrode World Bird Park 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
3 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
4 Zoo Miami 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Toronto Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
6 Indroda Nature Park 🇮🇳 India In captivity
7 Slimbridge Wetland Centre 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
8 Zoologischer Garten Leipzig 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
9 Fort Worth Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
10 Lisbon Zoo 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
11 Cologne Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
12 Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens 🇻🇳 Vietnam In captivity
13 Kuala Lumpur Bird Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
14 Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
15 Avifauna 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
16 Penang Bird Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
17 Thrissur Zoo 🇮🇳 India In captivity
18 Cologne Zoo Aquarium 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
19 Wolfgang-Köhler-Primaten-Forschungszentrum 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Whistling-Duck in Bangkok?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Whistling-Duck sighting in Bangkok on a given day, based on 552 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 81st most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lesser Whistling-Duck in Bangkok?

April to September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Whistling-Duck in Bangkok on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months. Those are among Bangkok's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Whistling-Duck?

Between 4 and 7 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Whistling-Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Bangkok the best place to see a Lesser Whistling-Duck?

45th of 67

Of the 67 cities where we can rate Lesser Whistling-Duck sightings, Bangkok ranks 45th at about 10%. The best odds are in Savar (Bangladesh, about 60%), Ponnani (India, about 30%) and Indore (India, about 30%).

Where does the Lesser Whistling-Duck sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lesser Whistling-Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Bangkok (552 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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