Unlike most ducks you might know, whistling ducks often perch up in trees rather than just floating on water. Their long legs and upright posture give them a very different look from a mallard. When a group takes off together, they fill the air with their whistling calls, which sound almost musical.
West Indian whistling ducks are found across Caribbean islands and parts of Central America. They feed on seeds, aquatic plants, and small invertebrates in shallow wetlands and flooded fields. In Barbuda, the freshwater ponds and lagoons give them ideal feeding and roosting habitat.
These ducks are a special sight because their numbers have declined across the Caribbean and they are considered vulnerable. Local communities in Antigua and Barbuda are working to protect the wetland habitats the ducks depend on. Children who learn to identify the birds become important local wildlife watchers.
Watching wildlife requires patience - the kind you build slowly. Birdwatchers sit quietly near a pond at dawn and wait. When the whistling ducks come in to feed, moving in loose flocks and calling to each other, it is a reward well worth the wait.