Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

How to find it

Look for noisy flocks in rice fields and wetlands, and listen for groups whistling overhead at dusk. A flushed flock often circles and settles in nearby trees, so scan the branches around the water. After rain fills shallow freshwater pools, the ducks can turn up in groups. Palo Verde is best visited in the dry season, when birds from other parts of the country crowd in. A boat trip on the Tempisque is a common way to see the wetland birds. In the northern wetlands, flooded rivers can make a refuge hard to reach on your own, and on one tour only a few ducks showed on the boat trips because the water was very high.

How to recognise it

This is a slim, long-legged, long-necked duck about 53 cm long.

Look for these marks:

- Body mostly chestnut.

- Belly, underwing and tail black.

- A broad white wing stripe, striking in flight.

- Red bill and pink legs.

- Tawny head with a white throat and a white eye ring.

- Undertail feathers speckled black and white.

Immatures look quite different. They have a dark bill and a grayish brown body, with a mottled black and white belly. The wing stripe is still obvious but duller than in adults.

What it sounds like

Recording: River Ahlquist, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

By day the ducks rest in tight groups at the water's edge. They swim well and can dive, but usually feed by standing or walking in shallow water. They often feed at night, flying out mostly in small groups.

They stand tall, walk on land, graze in open areas and sometimes perch in trees. They make strong seasonal movements that follow changes in water level.

The nest is usually in a tree cavity or in low grass, and up to 15 white eggs are laid. Nest boxes are also used. Both parents share incubating and rearing.

Where it lives

The species uses freshwater ponds and marshes, shallow lakes, mangroves, large rivers and lagoons. It does best where a few trees stand nearby, because it perches and nests in them. Wet pastures and rice fields are also good places to look.

In Costa Rica it is found through much of the country but at lower elevations, in the lowlands of both slopes. In the Central Valley it is uncommon and appears only now and then. It may breed in small numbers around Cartago and the Reventazón valley.

When to see it

Breeding in Costa Rica runs from May to October. At Palo Verde the dry season brings big flocks, because marshes elsewhere dry up.

Similar birds

The coral-red bill and the large white wing patch, seen in flight, set this species apart from similar ducks. For immatures, look for the dark bill, the mottled black and white belly and the duller wing stripe.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Ricans mostly call this bird a piche (said pee-chey) or pijije, and treat it as its own kind of bird, not as a duck. Other local names recorded include Guichiche, Pichiche and Pichichí, along with the official Pijije Común. A Guanacaste golf course bird guide says the name Piche comes from the bird's call.

Status and conservation

It is a resident on the AOCR list (R), and the IUCN rates the species as Least Concern.

Photography tips

The birds are very sociable, so group shots are easy. One photographer found a group hiding in lagoon weeds near Liberia with only their heads showing. A flushed flock often settles in nearby trees, which gives a chance for a perched shot.