Birds
Chiloe Wigeon
Mareca sibilatrix
Grazing across open pasture more like a goose than a typical dabbling duck, a Chiloe wigeon flashes a metallic green head patch quite unlike the rufous heads carried by most of its wigeon relatives elsewhere in the world.
Overview
The Chiloe wigeon, Mareca sibilatrix, is a Least Concern bird native to wetland and grassland habitat across southern Chile, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. Its unusually grass-grazing feeding style, its striking metallic green head patch, and its tendency to remain paired outside the breeding season make it one of the more distinctive waterfowl species found anywhere in southern South America.
A duck that behaves like a goose
While most ducks dabble at the water’s surface for food, the Chiloe wigeon instead spends much of its time grazing on open grassland, a lifestyle that blurs the usual line between ducks and geese across the wetlands and pastures of southern South America.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread and generally stable across suitable wetland and grassland habitat throughout southern South America.
Chiloe Wigeon: common questions
Why is the Chiloe wigeon's feeding style unusual for a duck?
This species grazes on grass and pasture more than many other duck species, a feeding style that brings it into open grassland habitat away from open water more often than typical dabbling ducks.
How can you identify a Chiloe wigeon?
This species has a distinctive metallic green patch across its head along with a white forehead patch in both sexes, unlike the rufous head colouring typical of most other wigeon species.
Where does the Chiloe wigeon get its name?
This species is named after Chiloe Island in southern Chile, part of its broader range across southern South America including Argentina and the Falkland Islands.
Do Chiloe wigeons stay paired year-round?
Often yes, this species frequently forms pairs that remain together outside the breeding season, unlike some duck species that form new pairs each year.