"The handsome black-bellied whistling-duck (formerly called the black-bellied tree duck) is one of the prizes that birders seek when they come to South Texas for its many rarities. A largely tropical species, it occurs southward through Mexico and Central America into the South American lowlands. Its U.S. range is centered in the Rio Grande Valley, north locally to Corpus Christi. In recent years it appears to be wandering more widely ... The sexes look alike, with a rusty body and black belly, rump and tail. The gray face has a white eye-ring; the bill and legs are red or coral-pink. A white wing-patch shows as a broad stripe in flight."

Another pair has nested on the same pond in August 2006

Still another pair has nested on the same pond in July 2008.