The Story
I photographed this White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) at Parque Ecotemático Wisirare, near Orocué, Casanare, Colombia. As the name suggests, these are noisy birds with a clear three-note whistling call. They live on still freshwater lakes and reservoirs with plenty of vegetation, where they feed on seeds and other plant food. Across its large range it has many local names, including irere and guiriri. It nests in a hollow on the ground or in reed beds. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/500 sec, f/11, ISO 1600. Wisirare means good land in the Sáliba language, and the park is a recognized bird conservation area where more than 189 bird species have been recorded.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) belongs to the family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List