Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks nest in Ohio: First record!

UPDATE: As of yesterday, 9/16/2022, all nine ducklings were still present and doing well. I'll try and post any updates on Ohio's first nesting of this species. The young won't be able to fly until about the second week in November, and here's hoping they can fledge and escape to more tropical climes in time. Read on for the whole story...

A Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) emerges from pondside vegetation with nine chicks in tow. They represent the first documented nesting record in Ohio. This was my first look at the brood early yesterday morning.

On September 8, 2022, word emerged about nesting Black-bellied Whistling Ducks nesting on a small farm pond in Wayne County. The landowner, Henry Miller, noticed the ducks on his pond, and quite understandably did not recognize this largely tropical species. A neighbor, Harry Swartzentruber, made the identification, Joe Rabor got the word out, and the rest is history.

The Miller family kindly made their pond accessible to interested birders, and I visited yesterday. They have gone to some lengths to accommodate visitors at their sheep farm, and their guest log showed that several dozen people had visited as of yesterday.

The Wayne County breeding habitat of Ohio's first nesting Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. The pond is only one-third of an acre, but lushly vegetated along its banks. The water is covered with Lesser Duckweed (Lemna minor), a native aquatic plant. When I arrived, the adult had the brood deep in vegetation up on one of the banks, but mostly they spent time foraging in the water close to shore.

Map courtesy Birds of the World/Cornell Lab of Ornithology. ASIDE: I've long been a subscriber to Birds of the World, and highly recommend a subscription for any student of birds. The comprehensive monographs of nearly all bird species are a wealth of information and will further anyone's understanding of our avifauna.

As the map shows, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is very much a tropical bird. For a long time, in the U.S. it was largely a Rio Grande Valley (Texas) specialty. That was the northern limit for the species. In the last two decades, especially, this duck has wandered far to the north in ever increasing numbers. Ohio's first record dates to May 30, 2004, in Hamilton County. I remember that record well, especially as I was secretary of the Ohio Bird Records Committee at the time. That bird didn't stick but it was photographed. The listers needn't have fretted, as the 2004 bird was a precursor of things to come. In the years since, Ohio has had probably a few dozen records, and multiple reports annually in more recent times. This pattern holds true throughout much of the eastern U.S.

Nine chicks arrange themselves neatly around their mom (or dad?). Apparently at first, there were ten chicks, and I have heard reports that a Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) that makes its home in the pond got one of them. Big snappers are a very real threat to young ducklings. Hopefully it will get no more.

At the time of this photo, I think the chicks are 5-6 days old. Observers should notice fluffy down feathers start to emerge within a few days. They'll quickly lose the cool black stripes. Within the second week they'll go on a growth spurt and should be able to take wing in about 60 days, which would be early in the second week of November. This is very late, though, and north-central Ohio will have experienced some very frosty weather by then. Why they nested so late in the year is a mystery, at least to me, and these whistling-ducks, evolved for far warmer climes, are probably pushing the envelope in terms of survivability with this abnormally later nesting.

The little ones preen, feed, and hang with the parent in the shallows. One little fellow exercises his wing nubbins, flapping them vigorously just as adult ducks often do. Another of the mysteries in this case is the fate of the other parent. Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks co-raise broods, with both male and female taking turns incubating eggs, and caring for the chicks. The juveniles even stay with the parents for several months following fledging. I don't know anyone that has seen two adults together, despite many collective hours of observers watching the birds. Apparently, something happened to it, but the remaining parent seems to be managing well. I do not know what sex it is, as Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are monomorphic (look the same), and I do not know of any way to distinguish male and female.

The adult whistling-duck broods the chicks - her plumage is afluff, creating a warm blanket and all nine chicks are underneath her. Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks cannot thermoregulate (manage their own body temperature) for their first 10-12 days, so they'll occasionally huddle under an adult. It was a bit cool - 60ish F in this morning.

Another mystery is where the nest site was. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is a habitual cavity-nester, and I didn't see any likely sites at hand. However, they can ground nest, if need be, and sometimes even use odd sites such as barn lofts. I have heard, thirdhand, that the nest was actually discovered, but don't know any details.

This is an exciting record, and probably the first of more nestings to follow in Ohio and elsewhere in the Midwest. Wisconsin has already had a breeding record, in 2020. It'll be interesting to see how this apparent range expansion plays out in the years to come. For now, we can wish the best for the Wayne County brood and hope the lateness of the season does not cause them issues.