Anas bahamensis
The White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis) is a strikingly marked, medium-sized dabbling duck instantly recognizable by its vivid white cheek patches contrasting sharply with a dark brown crown and nape. Measuring approximately 40-50 cm (16-20 inches) in length with a wingspan of 65-75 cm (26-30 inches) and weighing 500-700 grams (1.1-1.5 lbs), it boasts a distinctive bill that is bright red at the base, fading to grey or black at the tip. Its body plumage is largely pale brown, finely mottl...
This adaptable dabbling duck primarily inhabits brackish and saltwater wetlands, including coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangrove swamps, and tidal creeks, though it can also be found in freshwater ponds and rivers, typically at low elevations.
Predominantly omnivorous, their diet consists mainly of aquatic seeds, leaves, and stems of submerged plants, supplemented by a variety of aquatic invertebrates such as insects, crustaceans, and mollusks, obtained through dabbling and grazing.
White-cheeked Pintails are primarily diurnal, actively foraging during the day and often roosting in open water or along vegetated banks at night in small flocks. They employ classic dabbling techniques, tipping their bodies to reach submerged vegetation and invertebrates, or grazing on surface p...
The White-cheeked Pintail boasts a widespread Neotropical distribution, encompassing various populations across the Caribbean, Central, and South America. The nominate subspecies, *Anas bahamensis bahamensis*, is found throughout the Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, and...
Least Concern
- The White-cheeked Pintail exhibits very little sexual dimorphism; males and females look almost identical, which is uncommon among dabbling ducks. - They are remarkably tolerant of brackish and even saline water, often found thriving in coastal lagoons and mangrove ecosystems where many other d...