puna teal Spatula puna

Handsome and distinctive dabbling duck of the high Andes. Note the black cap, bright pale creamy cheeks, and powder-blue bill. Like most South American dabbling ducks (but unlike most Northern Hemisphere species), sexes look similar year-round, although male on average is brighter and more boldly patterned. Often fairly common on bogs, lakes, and other wetlands, especially with reeds and other emergent vegetation. The smaller and duller Silver Teal occurs in lowlands, not the high Andes.