Vajram-And-RaviVajram-And-Ravi
hamburger-icon

White-Winged Wood Duck

13-12-2024

06:30 PM

timer
1 min read
White-Winged Wood Duck Blog Image

Overview:

In a successful conservation initiative, the white-winged wood duck (deo hanh in Assamese), the state bird of Assam, has been spotted in an artificial pond, "Neelmoni Beel," at Nameri Tiger Reserve (NTR).

About White-Winged Wood Duck:

  • It is a large species of duck and one of the most endangered birds in the world.
  • Scientific Name: Asarcornis scutulata
  • Distribution:
    • It was once distributed widely across northeast India and southeast Asia.
    • But now, only about 800 survive in the wild, of which about 450 are present in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
    • In India, the duck is limited to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
  • Habitat: It mostly resides in dense tropical evergreen forest and is known to prefer inaccessible swampy areas formed by numerous rivers, streams, etc. 
  • Due to its ghostly call, it is called ‘Deo Hans’ or Spirit Duck in Assamese.
  • Features:
    • It has a black body, a white head that is thickly spotted with black, conspicuous white patches on the wings, and red or orange eyes.
    • Its average length is about 81 cm.
    • The sexes are more or less alike, the male having more gloss on the plumage, and being much larger and heavier.
    • It is a crepuscular bird, as it is most active at dusk and dawn.
    • The adults are largely omnivorous
  • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

Q1: What is an omnivorous species?

An omnivorous species is an organism that consumes both plant-based and animal-based food as part of its diet. 

News: Endangered state bird spotted in Nameri