Mystery bird: Chubut steamerduck, Tachyeres leucocephalus

Mystery bird: Chubut steamerduck, Tachyeres leucocephalus
Posted by
GrrlScientist
Sunday 22 April 2012 12.30 EDT

These Argentine endemic mystery birds are peculiar for a number of reasons (includes video)



Question: These Argentine endemic mystery birds are peculiar for a number of reasons. What reasons are those? Can you identify this bird's taxonomic family and species?

Response: This is a pair of Chubut steamerducks, Tachyeres leucocephalus, a large flightless duck with a very small range in Golfo San Jorge in southern Chubut and northern Santa Cruz Provinces of the coast of south-central Argentina. These sedentary birds live in rocky areas and sheltered bays and breed on offshore islands and peninsulas. They forage by filtering water through the serrations on the edges of their bills to separate out the aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails, and crabs that they feed on.

The Chubut steamerduck was only recently recognized as a distinct species because steamerducks generally look fairly similar, although they do inhabit non-overlapping ranges. This species' current population is estimated to be 2,500-5,000 individuals.

There are four species of steamerducks and all are placed into the genus, Tachyeres, a name derived from ancient Greek for "having fast oars" due to their habit of using both their feet and their wings to row their way through water to escape danger. Three of the four steamerduck species are flightless, whilst the fourth species, the flying steamerduck, T. patachonicus, rarely takes to the air. The steamerducks are included in the taxonomic family, Anatidae (the ducks, geese and swans).

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2012/apr/22/5