Lesser Whistling Duck

Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica) is a small, long-legged whistling duck with chestnut body, darker crown and broad rounded wings. The combination of body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provides the most useful field characters. Age, sex and season can alter its appearance, so identification should use several features rather than colour alone. This supports comparison with similar species in the field (Wikipedia, general species account).

It inhabits tropical freshwater marshes and rice fields, feeds mainly on seeds and vegetation, and often rests in trees. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds more likely to gather where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant, visitor or introduced bird (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).