White-Winged Wood Duck
13-12-2024
06:30 PM
1 min read

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.