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Speculanas specularis
Spotted this pair of Spectacled Ducks in a glacial pond next to the main park road in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. The species is currently classified as Near Threatened according to IUCN criteria, principally based on its rather small population size.
Glacial pond along main road Y-150 in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
Also known as the Bronze-winged Duck, on account of its conspicuously colored wing speculum, the Spectacled Duck is confined to southern Chile and west-central Argentina, as far south as Tierra del Fuego. Small numbers are speculated to disperse north and east during the non-breeding season, which probably commences late in the austral summer. Spectacled Ducks breed mostly by fast-flowing rivers in forested regions up to 1800 m, but also on wetlands, ponds and lakes. It feeds on seeds, leaves and stems of aquatic plants, and takes some aquatic invertebrates. Readily identified by virtue of its dark brown hood with a white oval patch between the lores and malar, and large white gular crescent, the Spectacled Duck is otherwise dark chocolate brown above and paler grey-buff below. Although relatively few potential threats have been identified to this species, it is currently classified as Near Threatened according to IUCN criteria, principally based on its rather small population size. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Neotropical Birds http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/por...
Spotted on Jan 12, 2015
Submitted on Feb 3, 2015
2 Comments
Thank you Marta! This was the only sighting I had of these beautiful ducks.
Beautiful feathers!