Fuegian Steamer Duck vs White-backed Duck

Fuegian Steamer Duck

Tachyeres pteneres

Huge4.7 kgMarine

This is the largest of the steamer duck species. It is a massively built waterfowl at 3.5–7 kg (7.7–15.4 lb) and 65–84 cm (26–33 in) in length, with the males noticeably larger than the females. Males weigh an average of 5.34 kg (11.8 lb) while females weigh around 4.2 kg (9.3 lb) on average. The wingspan is 85–110 cm (33–43 in), the wings being too small to functionally allow the birds to take flight. Instead, the wings are used like paddles to help skim rapidly across the surface of the water.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Christoph Moning · CC BY 4.0

White-backed Duck

Thalassornis leuconotus

Large698 gWetland

These birds are well adapted for diving. On occasions they have been observed to stay under water for up to half a minute. They search especially for the bulbs of waterlilies, but also seeds and leaves of waterlilies and other water plants and the young feed on lake flies larvae as well. From danger, they also escape preferentially by diving; hence, the namesake white back is hardly visible in life.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Todd Boland, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Todd Boland · cc-by

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Fuegian Steamer Duck and White-backed Duck.