CUBAN ANSERIFORMES - Ducks, Geese, Swans

The are around 18 species of waterfowl that winter or are found year-round in Cuba.

The West Indian whistling-duck looks more like a goose than a duck. It is the largest species of whistling-duck and is only found in the Caribbean.

It is about two feet tall and has long legs, a long neck, big feet, and a black bill. It is chestnut brown with black and white markings. Males and females look alike.

It is found in lagoons, swamps, tidal flats, salt ponds, coastal mangroves, rice fields and palm savannas. The West Indian whistling-duck spends the day roosting in trees. It feeds at night on fruits, seeds, bulbs, and tubers. It also eats crops like rice and corn.

The West Indian whistling duck is also known as the Cuban tree duck, the black-billed whistling-duck, the red-neck duck, the mangrove duck, and the night duck.

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CUBAN ANSERIFORMES - Ducks, Geese, Swans

Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in the Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced Breeds in NH (Birds)
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

Location
Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North America South America NH Click for More Info Click for Image

Species	Sounds	Occurrence
Wood Duck -Aix sponsa		Year-round
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Robin Carter
American Wigeon -Anas americana		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Nathan Pieplow
Blue-winged Teal -Spatula discors		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Andrew Spencer
Gadwall -Mareca strepera		Possibly extinct
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Ruud van Beusekom
Green-winged Teal -Anas crecca		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Stuart Fisher
Mallard -Anas platyrhynchos		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Allen T. Chartier
Northern Pintail -Anas acuta		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Marco Dragonetti
Northern Shoveler-Spatula clypeata		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Patrik Aberg
White-cheeked Pintail -Anas bahamensis		Year-round
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org  George Armistead
Lesser Scaup -Aythya affinis		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Paul Driver
Redhead -Aythya americana		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Allen Chartier
Ring-necked Duck -Aythya collaris		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Todd Wilson
Bufflehead -Bucephala albeola		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Paul Driver
Fulvous Whistling-duck-Dendrocygna bicolor		Year-round
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Fernando Jacobs
West Indian Whistling-duck -Dendrocygna arborea		Year-round
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Daniel Lane
Red-breasted Merganser -Mergus serrator		Non-breeding
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Ruud van Beusekoms
Masked Duck - Nomonyx dominicus		Year-round
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Bernabe Lopez-Lanus
Ruddy Duck -Oxyura jamaicensis		Year-round
	Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Chris Parrish

Additional Information

Key: Profile Photos Video Audio

Wood Duck -Aix sponsa
The wood duck breeds from southern Canada throughout the eastern half of the United States and south to Cuba. In the west, the wood duck breeds from British Columbia southward along Pacific Coast to southern California. It winters in the southern part of its breeding range and in Mexico.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Wood Duck -Aix sponsa
Wood ducks perch and nest in trees.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

American Wigeon -Anas americana
The American wigeon breeds from western Canada into the American Northwest. It winters mainly along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts and is found throughout the United States during migration.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Blue-winged Teal -Spatula discors
The blue-winged teal has a light blue wing patch that can be seen when it is in flight.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Blue-winged Teal -Spatula discors
The blue-winged teal is one of the last ducks to migrate north in the spring, and one of the first to migrate south in the fall.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Blue-winged Teal -Spatula discors
The blue-winged teal is found in shallow ponds and wetlands.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Gadwall -Mareca strepera
In North America, the gadwall is found throughout Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United States.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Gadwall -Mareca strepera
The gadwall is found on marshes, lakes and ponds.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Gadwall -Mareca strepera
The gadwall is a medium-sized dabbling duck.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Green-winged Teal -Anas crecca
The green-winged teal is also known as the teal.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Green-winged Teal -Anas crecca
The green-winged teal prefers shallow ponds with lots of emergent vegetation.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Green-winged Teal -Anas crecca
The green-winged teal is the smallest dabbling duck in the Americas.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Mallard -Anas platyrhynchos
The mallard occurs naturally in the Northern Hemisphere, but it has been introduced around the world.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Mallard -Anas platyrhynchos
The male mallard has an iridescent green head and neck.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Mallard -Anas platyrhynchos
Mallards are abundant, but one threat to their population is hybridization with other duck species.
Source: National Geographic Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Mallard -Anas platyrhynchos
Mallards are the most abundant and widespread of all waterfowl.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Northern Pintail -Anas acuta
The northern pintail has long, spiky central tail feathers.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Northern Pintail -Anas acuta
The northern pintail is among the earliest nesting ducks in North America, in many northern areas it begins nesting shortly after ice-out.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Northern Pintail -Anas acuta
During courtship, the male swims close to the female with his head down and tail up to impress the female.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Northern Shoveler-Spatula clypeata
The northern shoveler gets its name from its shovel-like bill.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Northern Shoveler-Spatula clypeata
The northern shoveler is found in wetland habitats across North America.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Northern Shoveler-Spatula clypeata
When the northern shoveler draws water into its bill and uses its tongue to push it out, food particles get stuck in the comb-like lamellae that line the side of its bill.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

White-cheeked Pintail -Anas bahamensis
The white-cheeked pintail is found in the Caribbean and South America.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Lesser Scaup -Aythya affinis
The lesser scaup breeds from Alaska and western Ontario south to Minnesota, northern Colorado, and northern California. It winters throughout the United States, both inland and along the coasts and into Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Lesser Scaup -Aythya affinis
The lesser scaup will sometimes play dead when it is captured by a predator like the red fox.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Redhead -Aythya americana
The redhead breeds in central Alaska, the Great Plains, the Great Lakes, and in the some areas of the western U.S. and Canada. It winters in the southern U.S. and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts south into Mexico and the Caribbean.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Redhead -Aythya americana
The redhead is found in shallow freshwater lakes, ponds, marshlands, coastal waters, and bays.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Ring-necked Duck -Aythya collaris
The ring-necked duck breeds across Canada south through the northern U.S. and into northern California and Colorado. It winters along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts and and the southern U.S. south into Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Ring-necked Duck -Aythya collaris
Unlike most other diving ducks, the ring-necked duck can take off from the water without running across its surface. 
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Bufflehead -Bucephala albeola
During breeding season, the bufflehead is found from Alaska east to Quebec, Canada and south in the mountains from Washington to Montana. It winters from Alaska east to Nova Scotia, Canada and south throughout the most of the continental United States south to Mexico.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Bufflehead -Bucephala albeola
The bufflehead is the smallest diving duck in North America.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

West Indian Whistling-duck -Dendrocygna arborea
The West Indian whistling-Duck is found in Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Turks and Caicos, and the Virgin Islands.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Fulvous Whistling-duck-Dendrocygna bicolor
The fulvous whistling-duck is found from central and eastern Texas and the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, south to Mexico. It is also found in southern Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Its name comes from the hoarse whistling sound it makes and from its coloring. Fulvous means tawny.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Fulvous Whistling-duck-Dendrocygna bicolor
The male fulvous whistling-duck helps take care of the offspring and a mated pairs stay together for many years.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Red-breasted Merganser -Mergus serrator
The red-breasted merganser breeds in Alaska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maine, and much of Canada. It winters along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts of North America. It is also found in Europe and Asia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Red-breasted Merganser -Mergus serrator
The red-breasted merganser is found in large lakes, rivers, and the ocean.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Red-breasted Merganser -Mergus serrator
The red-breasted merganser uses its long, thin bill that is lined with serrated edges to capture fish.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Masked Duck - Nomonyx dominicus
The masked duck is found in Texas, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Masked Duck - Nomonyx dominicus
The masked duck is found in Texas, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Ruddy Duck -Oxyura jamaicensis
The ruddy duck breeds west of the Mississippi. It winters along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts. It is also found in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. The ruddy duck is found in New Hampshire, but it does not breed there.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Ruddy Duck -Oxyura jamaicensis
The ruddy duck breeds west of the Mississippi. It winters along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts. It is also found in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. The ruddy duck is found in New Hampshire, but it does not breed there.
Source: Animal Diversity Web Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Ruddy Duck -Oxyura jamaicensis
The ruddy duck often dives underwater or swims away from danger instead of flying away. 
Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School