White-cheeked pintail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White-cheeked pintail |
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| Anas bahamensis galapagensis | |
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Anas
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| Species: |
bahamensis
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The white-cheeked pintail (Anas bahamensis), also known as the Bahama pintail or summer duck, 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.
Distribution and habitat
It is found in the Caribbean, South America, and the Galápagos Islands. It occurs on waters with some salinity, such as brackish lakes, estuaries and mangrove swamps.
There are three subspecies:
- A. b. bahamensis—lesser Bahama pintail—in the Caribbean, and a vagrant to southern Florida
- A. b. rubirostris—greater Bahama pintail—in South America; it may be partly migratory, breeding in Argentina and wintering further north.
- A. b. galapagensis—Galápagos pintail—in the Galápagos Islands
Description
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.
Behaviour
The white-cheeked pintail feeds on aquatic plants (such as Ruppia), grass seeds, algae and small creatures (such as insects and small aquatic invertebrates) obtained by dabbling. The nest is on the ground under vegetation and near water.
Aviculture
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.
Gallery
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Caribbean white-cheeked pintail with 9 ducklings
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Adult on left with red at the base of its beak and a juvenile with an all black bill on the right
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Whitish variant
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Two white-cheeked pintails on the Island of Santa Cruz in the Galápagos Islands
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Taken in the Galápagos Islands
