Torrent Duck

• It swims even against the current in white water and uses its stiff tail as a rudder; it is a powerful diver but reluctant to fly more than short distances.
• It is the only species in its genus, and is placed in the shelduck subfamily following the dissolution of the artificial group of the "perching ducks".
• A 2019 study found an ancient divergence and very restricted gene flow between the subspecies of the central and southern Andes: populations isolated by the terrain itself.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Fast-flowing rivers and streams of the Andes, generally above 1,500 m. It nests in small caves beside the water and other sheltered places. It holds fixed territories along the river

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; Wikipedia (Torrent duck); Aves Argentinas; Alza et al. 2019, Ecology and Evolution; Gould 1842; Livezey

Best time: All year round on the fast-flowing Andean rivers, perched on the stones of the channel

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.