Last updated 6/8/98
The Fulvous Whistling-Duck is told from the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck by its gray bill and legs, uniform rufous/fulvous colored underparts, and the head is the same color as the body. The juvenile Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is nearly the same color and has a similar colored bill, but the head will be distinctly grayer than the body. The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck has conspicuous white wing patches that are lacking in the Fulvous Whistling-Duck. The Fulvous Whistling-Duck has a conspicuous white rump band visible in flight that the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck lacks.
Look for the Fulvous Whistling-Duck in the rice fields of west Harris County, at the Attwater Prairie-Chicken NWR, and Anahuac NWR. In the fall they are numerous on Shoveler Pond at Anahuac NWR, and a few can be found on the refuge in the winter.
A breeding range map is available form the Breeding Bird Survey
A winter range map is available from the Christmas Bird Count