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The West Indian whistling duck (Dendrocygna arborea) is a species of bird in the family Anatidae. The largest and darkest of the whistling ducks, it is roughly the size of a mallard, growing to 48 to 58 centimetres (19 to 23 inches) in length. Widely scattered across the West Indies, the species was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Anas arborea, based on earlier accounts. The species is now placed in the genus Dendrocygna, introduced by William Swainson in 1837, and has no recognised subspecies. This photograph shows the head of a West Indian whistling duck in George Town, on the island of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
