White - Faced Tree Duck
The pleasant whistle of these ducks makes them one of my personal favorites. They also can become quite tame, making them a very personable species.
These birds prefer to be kept in small groups instead of in single pairs. They are very social with their group and will often preen each other.
White-Faced can sometimes be bullies especially during the breeding season and care should be taken to make sure they do not harass smaller birds.
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Our males will often mate with more than one female and we often have good fertility keeping 1 male per 2 hens.
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The Whited Faced Tree Duck is native to South Africa and South America. As a sub-tropical bird, they prefer warmer climates, but can adjust to cooler ones if some shelter is given from Winter temperatures.
Males and females look alike and both retain the same color year round.
My birds prefer to nest in natural cover but will often accept a nest box. Breeding begins in spring and for our region can last info fall.
Clutches consist of 8-12 eggs and are incubated for about 28 days. Both male and female will share in incubating the eggs and defending the nest.
If the eggs are removed early in incubation, our whitefaced will usually produce a second or even third clutch.
The ducklings of this species are quite cute , and are easy to raise.
