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Lophonetta specularioides
Spotted these Crested Ducks feeding in waters off Puerto Natales, Chile.
Feeding in waters off of Puerto Natales, Chile.
A relatively common duck of lower latitudes in South America, from Peru south to southern South America and the Falkland Islands, Crested Duck has a distinctive crest and dark mask around the eye. It feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates and algae on large bodies of water. They sometimes congregate in the hundreds to feed on zooplankton when concentrations are high. The timing of the breed varies with some populations breeding in the Andes from January-March, and other populations breeding in lowlands from October-December. The taxonomy has been debated, but Crested Duck is currently in its own genus, Lophonetta. Two subspecies have been described: L. specularioides alticola (Andean crested duck) and L. specularioides specularioides (Patagonian crested duck). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Neotropical Birds http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/por...
Spotted on Jan 8, 2015
Submitted on Feb 5, 2015
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