| Andean Goose Chloephaga melanoptera Chilean name: Piuquén |
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Lauca National Park, Chile February 2007 The Andean Goose is distributed in the Andes from central Peru to central Argentina. It is mainly found above 3,300 metres near wetlands surrounded by grassland but winter snows can force it to lower altitudes. It feeds on grasses and aquatic plants.. |
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It has a short, pink bill with a small, black tip and red legs. It is mainly white below. Most illustrations show the breast as being totally white but all the birds I saw had a dark brown patch on the middle breast. This may be staining from the ground or some sort of breeding plumage. Most photos on the internet also show this feature. | |||
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The male is noticeably larger than the female. | |||
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