White-cheeked pintail | |
---|---|
Anas bahamensis galapagensis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Anseriformes |
Family: | Anatidae |
Genus: | Anas |
Species: | A. bahamensis
|
Binomial name | |
Anas bahamensis | |
Subspecies | |
The white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis), also known as the Bahama pintail or summer duck, [2] is a species of dabbling duck. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae under its current scientific name. [3]
It is found in the Caribbean, South America, and the Galápagos Islands. [4] It occurs on waters with some salinity, such as brackish lakes, estuaries and mangrove swamps. [4]
There are three subspecies:
Like many southern ducks, the sexes are similar. It is mainly brown with white cheeks and a red-based grey bill (young birds lack the pink). It cannot be confused with any other duck in its range. [4]
The white-cheeked pintail feeds on aquatic plants (such as Ruppia), grass seeds, algae [5] [6] and small creatures (such as insects and small aquatic invertebrates) [5] [6] obtained by dabbling. The nest is on the ground under vegetation and near water. [4]
It is popular in wildfowl collections, and escapees are frequently seen in a semi-wild condition in Europe. A leucistic (whitish) variant is known in aviculture as the silver Bahama pintail. [2]
A. grisea, rostro plumbeo: macula laterali fulva, macula alarum viridi luteaque.