Steamer duck
| Steamer ducks | |
|---|---|
| Falkland steamer duck, Tachyeres brachypterus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Tadorninae |
| Genus: | Tachyeres Owen, 1875 |
| Type species | |
| Anas brachyptera Latham, 1790
| |
| Species | |
|
Tachyeres patachonicus | |
| Synonyms | |
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The steamer ducks are a genus (Tachyeres) of ducks in the family Anatidae. Three of the four species occur in the southern part of the Southern Cone of South America in Chile and Argentina, and the fourth on the Falkland Islands 500 km to the east; all except the flying steamer duck are flightless, and even this one species capable of flight only rarely takes to the air. They can be aggressive and are capable of chasing off predators like petrels. Bloody battles of steamer ducks with each other over territory disputes are observed in nature. They even kill waterbirds that are several times their size.