Bird Guide

Falkland Steamer Duck vs Flying Steamer Duck

Falkland Steamer Duck (Tachyeres brachypterus)

Falkland Steamer Duck

Tachyeres brachypterus

Huge3.5 kgMarine

The Falkland steamer duck measures between 61 and 74 cm in length and has a wingspan of 84 to 94 cm. It is a fairly large species of duck with males weighing between 3300 and 4800 g, and females between 2900 and 4196 g. The male's plumage is brown to grey with a contrasting light grey-white head. They have a distinctive orange bill. The wings have white secondary feathers and large, featherless spurs. The stubby tail is brown-grey. The eyes are brown with a contrasting white eye-ring and a faint white eye-streak. Voice: The Falkland steamer duck's vocalizations are similar to those of the flying steamer duck. Males can be heard year-round, but they are especially vocal during the breeding season, during which they use their vocalization to defend their territory. Their call consists of loud rasping whistles and repeated sharp ticking notes. Females usually sing with the males and produce deeper grunts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Flavien Saboureau · CC BY 4.0
Flying Steamer Duck (Tachyeres patachonicus)

Flying Steamer Duck

Tachyeres patachonicus

Huge2.8 kgMarine

Though they are the smallest of the four Tachyeres species, flying steamer ducks share similar plumage traits with other steamer ducks including female brown head and neck feathers with white stripes stretching from their eyes to the napes of their necks, and brown-gray gradient body feathers. Their underbellies are mostly white, and their feet are orange. Female flying steamer ducks have smaller bills relative to males that are orange with black tips, while males have darker gray bills with slight yellow accents.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Hugo Hulsberg · CC0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Falkland Steamer Duck and Flying Steamer Duck.