- Oxyura ferruginea
Identification
Male has mostly chestnut body with white belly and black head with bright blue bill with a slight bump over the nostril in the southern ferruginea population. In the northern andina population, the head varies from black to having a lot of white, with many different intermediates known. Female is mostly brownish and has a head with dark crown to under eye, and one additional darker stripe below; in non-breeding plumage, both sexes has a single white(ish) stripe across face.
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.
Taxonomy
Considered monotypic by Clements1, but some recent field guides believe two subspecies exists: ferruginea, and andina. Some sources still consider Andean Duck a subspecies of Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis.2
Habitat
Lakes, pools and marshes.
Behaviour
It cocks the tail much of the time. Except when on the nest spends much time on open water or diving for food.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
- Arthur Grosset
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Andean Duck. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Andean_Duck
