Rare bird spotted in Ohio, third rare species since 2020

Over the last several years, quite a few different bird species have decided to make a home in the Buckeye State.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife reported on Facebook that black-bellied whistling ducks were spotted with ducklings at a wildlife area in Wayne County, northwest of Tuscarawas County.

The Columbus Dispatch confirmed that the same species was spotted nesting in a small pond in Wayne County in 2022, with the first sighting recorded in 2004.

According to Times Reporter , experts now believe the species, generally found along the Mexican border and Gulf Coast, is here to stay.

The duck is described as a “spectacularly marked, sociable, noisy waterfowl.”

According to the online bird guide Audubon , black-bellied whistling ducks favor ponds or fresh marshes. They may be attracted to shallow freshwater lakes in open country, but they prefer ponds surrounded by trees.

Black-bellied whistling-ducks are about the same size as a mallard duck, 20 to 22 inches long, with long necks and legs according to Audubon. Birdwatcher can identify the waterfowl by their unique markings. Adults have a chestnut, black and gray color pattern with bright pink bills, and unlike many other duck species, males and females are similar in appearance.

They can also be spotted by their duck songs and calls which Audubon describes as “mellow whistles.

Black-bellied whistling ducks are about the same size as a mallard duck, 20 to 22 inches long, with long necks and legs, according to Audubon. Birdwatchers can identify the waterfowl by their unique markings.

Adults have a chestnut, black, and gray color pattern with bright pink bills, and unlike many other duck species, males and females are similar in appearance.

They can also be spotted by their duck songs and calls, which Audubon describes as “mellow whistles.

Black-bellied whistling ducks are not the only rare birds found in Ohio.

According to the Times Reporter, a Roseate Tern was seen along Lake Erie earlier this summer.

Most commonly found along the New England Coastline and the Caribbean, it is believed a hurricane may have blown the bird off its migratory flight path.

A Brown Booby was spotted in 2020 at the Nimisila Reservoir outside of Akron.

This tropical bird is usually found in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, and like the tern, Times Reporter says a hurricane most likely brought it.

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