Common Name: Torrent Duck
Scientific Name: Merganetta armata armata
Family: Anatidae

Description

This species lives in the sectors of the Andes from Atacama to the Land of Fire, holding territories on fast flowing rivers with rocks and deep waters. Overall length can reach 43 cm for an adult bird.

Unlike females, male Torrent Ducks have a white head and neck with a central black line running from the forehead to the back of the neck. They have blackish breast and sides while their underparts and belly are chestnut colored with black stripes.

Females have grey head and neck, and reddish brown cheeks, throat, breast and underparts, with their head and upperparts grey in color. Their back and tail are white with black stripes.

They do not stand out for their flight but rather for their swimming against current of the river where they breed. Their diet consists mainly of plants, small fish, larvas, crustaceans and worms.