Dendrocygna arcuata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The wandering whistling duck (Dendrocygna arcuata) is a species of whistling duck. They inhabit tropical and subtropical Australia, the Philippines, Borneo, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Pacific Islands.
Formerly named tree ducks, the wandering whistling duck has its new name because of their loud whistling calls and the whistling noise their wings make during flight. They have long necks and legs and look like a cross between a goose and a duck. They have a strong head and neck with a darker crown and hindneck. The breast contains black spotting and the feathers are mostly dark brown. They range in size from 54–60 cm in height and weigh on average 750 grams. They mainly feed on grasses, waterlilies, water plants and occasionally insects and aquatic vertebrae.
The wandering whistling duck lives in deep lagoons, flooded grasslands or dams. They enjoy the water and rarely leave the shore. They can swim... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Centro Cicogne e Anatidi | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 6 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Adelaide Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Mogo Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Mogo Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Albay Park and Wildlife | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 11 | Bali Bird Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 12 | Birdworld Kuranda | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Kuranda Koala Gardens | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Whistling Duck sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 749 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 186 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and October–November
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Whistling Duck in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January and March, the lowest months. Those are among Kakadu National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 350 mm in January. February has too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wandering Whistling Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Wandering Whistling Duck sightings, Kakadu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wandering Whistling Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakadu National Park (749 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
