White-faced Duck ( Dendrocygna viduata, family: Dendrocygnidae)

white faced duck kruger national park birds The White-faced Duck (Latin name Dendrocygna viduata) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 99 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 85 also a picture of the White-faced Duck on page 97. The White-faced Duck belongs to the family of birds classified as Dendrocygnidae.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The White-faced Duck is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

In terms of distribution of the White-faced Duck in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. White-faced Duck : see above distribution map.

The White-faced Duck.

Whitefaced Duck Kruger ParkIdentification assistance for this avian species ...

The White-faced Duck is a bird about the size of a grey hornbill. The height of the White-faced Duck is about 48 cms and its weight is about 700 gms

The male and female White-faced Duck have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is white.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is white.
  • Back is grey.
  • Legs are blue, grey.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The White-faced Duck feeds on the ground and in foliage mainly

Invertebrates

Fruits

Seeds

Aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The White-faced Duck is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Dendrocygna viduata will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of White-faced Duck is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 7 to 13

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for White-faced Duck are: wetlands and riverine areas

You will normally see the White-faced Duck in pairs or flocks and not as single birds.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Idada

Zulu ... iVevenyane

Afrikaans ...Nonnetjie-eend

German ... Witwenente

Portuguese ... Pato-assobiador-de-faces-brancas

French ... Dendrocygne veuf

Dutch ... Witwangfluiteend

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 99

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za