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 6 years ago 42 sec 3.9 -
An individual swimming in a dukweed pond, close to an African Pygmy-goose. Locality Parc Paradisio, Cambron-Casteau, Brugelette, Hainaut Province, Belgium
Josep del Hoyo 4 June 2010 48 weeks ago 26 sec 3.5 -
A bird on the water, alert Locality Debre Zeit, Ethiopia (ssp leuconotos)
Josep del Hoyo 21 December 2005 5 years ago 17 sec 3.5 -
Dorsal view of a bird preening on the water. Locality Parc Paradisio, Cambron-Casteau, Brugelette, Hainaut Province, Belgium
Josep del Hoyo 4 June 2010 48 weeks ago 22 sec 3.4 -
preening on floating vegetation Locality Hawassa Fish Market, Hawassa, Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp leuconotus)
Martin Kennewell 3 November 2010 1 year ago 21 sec 3.3
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Adult bird in tropical greenhouse.
Locality Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England, Great Britain
Tomasz Doroń 4 July 2009 2 years ago 3.4 -
A bird swimming Locality Ethiopia (ssp leuconotus)
Stefan Helming 23 November 2008 3 years ago 2.8
- No sound recordings available yet
