| Ashy-headed goose | |
|---|---|
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| Adult in Patagonia, South America | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Chloephaga |
| Species: | C. poliocephala |
| Binomial name | |
| Chloephaga poliocephala P.L. Sclater, 1857 | |
 | |
The ashy-headed goose (Chloephaga poliocephala) is a species of waterfowl in tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae. It is found in Argentina and Chile. [2] [3]
The ashy-headed goose is 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24 in) long. Males weigh 1.62 to 2.27 kg (3.6 to 5.0 lb) and females 1.47 to 1.49 kg (3.2 to 3.3 lb). Adults have the same plumage. Their heads and necks are gray, their upper back and breast chestnut with fine barring, their flanks barred black and white, and their belly white. In flight their blackish wings show bold white leading and trailing patches and a metallic green speculum. Their bill is black and the legs and feet orange with black markings. Juveniles' rufous areas are much duller, their back and breast barring stronger, and their speculum dark brownish. [4]
The ashy-headed goose is a bird of South America's southern cone from central Chile and Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, south into Tierra del Fuego. It also occurs as vagrant on the Falkland Islands and has bred there. In summer it primarily inhabits clearings in damp forests of southern beech ( Nothofagus sp.) around lakes and marshes, on inland islands, near the coast, and on higher ground. In winter it favors meadows and pastures. [4] [5]
The ashy-headed goose nests south of 37° south latitude in Chile and western Argentina. In winter much of the population moves further north in Chile and onto the Argentinian Pampas. [4]
The ashy-headed goose is almost entirely vegetarian. A study of its diet on its wintering grounds in Argentina showed it feeding mainly in harvested fields of wheat, maize, sunflower, and sorghum. One in the austral summer in Tierra del Fuego showed a diet there of leaves and fleshy fruits. Red crowberry ( Empetrum rubrum ) was the dominant fruit. [4]
The ashy-headed goose's breeding season begins in October to November and in some areas lasts to March. It nests singly or in small loose groups. Nests are placed in a tree hollow, on a stump, or in long grass, and are lined with down. The clutch size is four to six eggs. Males guard females during the incubation period of about 30 days. The time to fledging is not known. [4]
Male and female ashy-headed geese have different vocalizations: Males make "soft, wigeon-like whistles" and females "harsh cackling notes". [4]
The IUCN has assessed the ashy-headed goose as being of Least Concern. It has a large range, and though its population size is unknown it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] Winter surveys in northeastern Argentina estimated that as many as 150,000 may be there. [6] The species is "[r]elatively free from human persecution at [the] breeding grounds" but in winter is persecuted by farmers who view it as a competitor to their livestock. [4]
The black-necked swan is a species of waterfowl in the tribe Cygnini of the subfamily Anserinae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.
The Andean goose is a species of waterfowl in tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
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The Orinoco goose is a Near Threatened species of waterfowl in the tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile, French Guiana, Suriname, and Uruguay.
The upland goose or Magellan goose is a sheldgoose of the shelduck-sheldgoose subfamily of the Anatidae, the biological family that includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl such as the geese and swans. Sheldgeese resemble true geese and display similar habits, yet they are more closely related to shelducks and ducks. The two recognized subspecies of upland goose are the continental picta subspecies and the insular (island) leucoptera subspecies.
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The crested duck or South American crested duck is a species of duck native to South America, belonging to the monotypic genus Lophonetta. It is sometimes included in Anas, but it belongs to a South American clade that diverged early in dabbling duck evolution. There are two subspecies: L. specularioides alticola and L. specularioides specularioides. The Patagonian crested duck is also called the southern crested duck and its range lies in the Falklands, Chile, and Argentina.
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The two-banded plover is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Falkland Islands, and Uruguay.
The chimango caracara is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and as a vagrant on the Falkland Islands.
The red-gartered coot is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The giant coot is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
The white-winged coot is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.
The red-fronted coot is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.
The plumbeous rail is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
The grey-breasted seedsnipe is a species of bird in the family Thinocoridae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
The Magellanic snipe is a bird in tribe Scolopancinai and subfamily Scolopacinae of family Scolopacidae, the sandpipers and relatives. It is found in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.
