Alternative name: Chubut Steamer-Duck
- Tachyeres leucocephalus
Identification
61-74 cm (24-29 in). A flightless duck.
Male
- White head contrasting with rest of plumage
- Bright yellow-orange bill (duller in moult) with black nail
- Greyish body with white belly
- Yellow-orange legs and feet
Female
- Browner head and neck
- Line behind the eye extending to foreneck
- Greenish-yellow bill
Juveniles are similar to females.
Similar species
Flying Steamer-Duck is very similar. White-headed is heavier-necked, shorter-winged, shorter-tailed and stouter-billed. The female has a more prominent postocular streak.
Distribution
Southern coast of Chubut Province, southern Argentina.
Common in its small range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Habitat
Found at rocky coasts and sheltered bays, entirely coastal.
Breeds on peninsulas and offshore islands.
Behaviour
An essentially flightless species.
Diet
Feeds on marine molluscs and crustaceans.
Forages by diving, also seen upending and dabbling. Does sometimes search the shoreline for food.
Breeding
Breeding season from October to February. The nest is a in a shallow depression lined out with sticks, grass and high-tide litter. It's hidden under bushes, close to the water. Usually in single pairs but also in rather large, dense colonies on offshore islands. Lays 5 to 6 eggs.
Movements
A sedentary species with some small-scale movements outside breeding season.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) White-headed Steamer-Duck. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-headed_Steamer-Duck
