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CHILOE WIGEON
 
   
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
FAST FACTS
FUN FACTS
ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
COMMON NAME: Chiloe wigeon, Chilean wigeon, southern wigeon
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Anseriformes
FAMILY: Anatidae
GENUS SPECIES: Anas (duck) sibilatrix (whistling)
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FAST FACTS
DESCRIPTION: Chiloe wigeons are small ducks.  Males have white wing patches, white cheeks and forehead and a metallic green head.  The breast is barred white and black and sides are orange-brown.  The back is dark gray with white streaks.  These ducks have gray bills with black tips.  The legs and feet are dark gray.
FEMALE Females are slightly duller than males, with a gray wing patch.
SIZE: 42.5-47.5 cm (17-19 in.) long
WEIGHT: Approximately 0.9 kg (2 lbs)
DIET: Includes water plants, plankton, crustaceans, and tadpoles
INCUBATION: 25-26 days
CLUTCH SIZE 6-11 eggs
FLEDGING DURATION 6 weeks
SEXUAL MATURITY: Approximately 2 years
LIFE SPAN: Averages 20-30 years
RANGE: Southern South America
HABITAT: Inhabits fresh-water lakes, marshes and rivers
POPULATION: GLOBAL Unknown
STATUS: IUCN Not listed
CITES Not listed
USFWS Not listed
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FUN FACTS
1. When communicating, both sexes lift their chin and call in the same way: a whistle.
2. Chiloe widgeons have strong pair bonds and - unlike other widgeons - males often take part in rearing the young; however, the female alone incubates the eggs.
3. Chiloe widgeons join the very small number of waterfowl species that have managed to cross the hostile South Atlantic (Drake Passage) separating the tip of South America from Antarctica.
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ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

These birds are fairly common throughout their range.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Austin, G. Birds of the World. New York. Golden Press, Inc., 1961.
Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained. UK. Blandford Books Ltd., 1981.

Johnsgard, P. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World. Lincoln. Univ. Of Neb. Press, 1978.

Scott, P. A Coloured Key of the Wildfowl of the World. Slimbridge, England. The Wildfowl Trust. 1988.
Todd, F.S. Natural History of Waterfowl. San Diego, Ca. Ibis Publishing Co., 1996.
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