Ducks, Geese and Swans (Anatidae)
White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotos) - HBW 1, p. 577
French: Erismature à dos blanc
German: Weißrücken Pfeifgans
Spanish: Pato Dorsiblanco
Taxonomy: Thalassornis leuconotus Eyton, 1838, Cape of Good Hope.
A distinctive species placed in its own genus, it was formerly considered to be closer to stifftails (tribe Oxyurini), but is now usually regarded as an atypical whistling duck and included in tribe Dendrocygnini. Some isolate it in its own tribe (Thalassornini) or even subfamily (Thalassorninae). Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- leuconotus Eyton, 1838 - Senegal to Chad; Ethiopia to South Africa.
- insularis Richmond, 1897 - Madagascar.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A bird diving repeatedly Locality London Wetland Centre, London, England, Great Britain (ssp leuconotos)
Josep del Hoyo 5 November 2005 7 years ago 42 sec 3.9 -
preening on floating vegetation Locality Hawassa Fish Market, Hawassa, Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp leuconotus)
Martin Kennewell 3 November 2010 2 years ago 21 sec 3.8 -
An individual swimming in a dukweed pond, close to an African Pygmy-goose. Locality Parc Pairi Daiza (Paradisio), Cambron-Casteau, Brugelette, Hainaut Province, Belgium
Josep del Hoyo 4 June 2010 2 years ago 26 sec 3.5 -
Dorsal view of a bird preening on the water. Locality Parc Pairi Daiza (Paradisio), Cambron-Casteau, Brugelette, Hainaut Province, Belgium
Josep del Hoyo 4 June 2010 2 years ago 22 sec 3.5 -
A bird on the water, alert Locality Debre Zeit, Ethiopia (ssp leuconotos)
Josep del Hoyo 21 December 2005 6 years ago 17 sec 3.5 -
Scratching and preening Locality Slimbridge Wildlife & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, Great Britain (ssp leuconotus)
Joe Angseesing 19 June 2009 10 weeks ago 37 sec 3.2
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Adult bird in tropical greenhouse.
Locality Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, Great Britain
Tomasz Doroń 4 July 2009 3 years ago 3.4 -
A bird swimming
Locality Ethiopia (ssp leuconotus)
Stefan Helming 23 November 2008 4 years ago 2.8
- No sound recordings available yet
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