Long-winged steamboat duck
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Long-winged steamship duck ( Tachyeres patachonicus ) |
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| ( King , 1828) |
The long-winged steamship duck ( Tachyeres patachonicus ), also known as the Patagonian steamship duck, is one of four species of steamship ducks in the subfamily of the half-geese (Tadorninae). This species is the only one among the steamship ducks that can fly, the wings of the others are too short to lift their massive bodies into the air.
distribution and habitat
The long-winged steamboat duck is common on the coast around the southern tip of South America, from southern Chile to southern Argentina and Tierra del Fuego to the Falkland Islands . Not exclusively living in marine life, the species also occurs inland on lakes, especially outside the breeding season.
Appearance
With a body length of 66 to a maximum of 71 cm, this duck bird is the smallest and with a body weight of 2.43–3.17 kg also the lightest species of steamship ducks. Outwardly, both males and females are very similar to the Falkland steamship duck, but appear overall more delicate and not as bulky as this flightless species. The head of the male is slightly lighter gray than that of the male of T. brachypterus . The eye ring is white and runs in a slightly curved line from the eye to the area around the ear. The beak is orange with a dark beak end. Females often have an olive-green beak and otherwise resemble strongly female animals of the Falkland steamship duck. Young birds are predominantly gray in color, the plumage can also have brown feathers.
Breeding behavior
The majority of the population breeds in October and November, individual pairs sometimes breed much later. The nest is created to protect against predators in dense vegetation and often on islands off the coast. Colonies are not formed, the species always breeds in pairs. On the Falkland Islands there are no more than one pair per body of water unless this one has a very high population of aquatic plants and aquatic invertebrates.
On average, the clutch consists of 7 eggs, which are significantly smaller and more pointed than those of the Falkland steamboat duck. The incubation period is 30 to 40 days. Chicks are brown on the head and back, white feathered on the belly and already have a white line on the eye, which is typical for adult females.
food
Crustaceans and mollusks are preyed on diving, both on the coast and in inland waters, and constitute the main component of the diet.
supporting documents
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliot, Jordi Sargatal: Handbook of the birds of the world. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 1992, ISBN 84-87334-10-5 .
- Martin R. de la Pena, Maurice Rumboll, Gustavo Carrizo, Aldo A. Chiappe, Jorge R. Mata: Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica . - Princeton University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-691-09035-1
- Hadoram Shirihai: A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife - The Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and Southern Ocean , Alula Press, Degerby 2002, ISBN 951-98947-0-5
- Robin and Anne Woods: Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Falkland Islands , Anthony Nelson, Shorpshire 1997, ISBN 0904614-60-3
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Tachyeres patachonicus in the Internet Bird Collection
- Tachyeres patachonicus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2014.