NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Lesser Whistling Duck
Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield, 1821)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica), Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The lesser whistling duck (Dendrocygna javanica), also known as Indian whistling duck or lesser whistling teal, is a species of whistling duck that breeds in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal feeders that during the day may be found in flocks around lakes and wet paddy fields. They can perch on trees and sometimes build their nest in the hollow of a tree. This brown and long-necked duck has broad wings that are visible in flight and produces a loud two-note wheezy call. It has a chestnut rump, differentiating it from its larger relative, the fulvous whistling duck, which has a creamy white rump.
Wikipedia contributors, Lesser whistling duck; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:26:41.810655+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield, 1821)
- Name authority
- (Horsfield, 1821)
- Common name
- Lesser Whistling Duck
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Dendrocygna
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae Leach, 1820
- genusDendrocygna Swainson, 1837
- speciesDendrocygna javanica (Horsfield, 1821)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dendrocygna. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| West Indian Whistling DuckDendrocygna arborea (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wandering Whistling DuckDendrocygna arcuata (Horsfield, 1824) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Fulvous Whistling DuckDendrocygna bicolor (Vieillot, 1816) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plumed Whistling DuckDendrocygna eytoni (Eyton, 1838) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spotted Whistling DuckDendrocygna guttata Schlegel, 1866 | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-faced Whistling DuckDendrocygna viduata (Linnaeus, 1766) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Anas javanica Horsfield, 1821 Horsfield, 1821 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175052 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:34Q35. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.