Speculanas specularis

(King, 1828)

Vernacular names
English : Spectacled duck
French : Canard à lunettes

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Anseriformes
Family : Anatidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach 54 cm in length for a weight of 1.4 kilos. Yellow legs, grey bill. Plumage mostly grey with black mottling and spotting, wings with iridescent green tinge. Head dark brown to black with white blotches on cheeks and throat.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in South America, it breeds from Tierra del Fuego to central Chile and winters in south third of Argentina and coastal Chile. Lives in fast flowing rivers in wooded countries, lakes and marshes, up to 1500 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species isn’t common but has a large range. It is vulnerable to disturbance on breeding grounds, pollution, hunting and habitat loss.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

Back to “Ducks, swans and relatives” page