Heteronetta atricapilla
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-headed duck (Heteronetta atricapilla) is a South American duck in subfamily Oxyurinae of family Anatidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The black-headed duck is the only member of genus Heteronetta and has no subspecies. It is closely related to the "stiff-tailed" ducks of genera Nomonyx, Oxyura, and Biziura.
The black-headed duck is the most basal living member of its subfamily, and it lacks the stiff tail and swollen bill of its relatives. Overall much resembling a fairly typical diving duck, its plumage and other peculiarities indicate it may not be a very close relative of the other stiff-tailed ducks, but rather the product of convergent evolution from the ancestors of the stiff-tailed ducks.
The black-headed duck is about 35 cm (14 in) long. Males weigh an average of about 510 g (18 oz) and females 565 g (20 oz). The species has a distinctive shape, with a long body and disproportionately short wings. Its bill has a black maxilla and an orange mandible; the maxilla has a rosy patch at its base during the breeding season. Adult males have a glossy black head and upper neck and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Duck sighting in Buenos Aires on a given day, based on 415 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 149th most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Duck in Buenos Aires on a given day, against under 5% in April to December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-headed Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Buenos Aires, in our data
Buenos Aires is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Black-headed Duck sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Black-headed Duck that you can see in Buenos Aires (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Rosybill Pochard (about 30%), Speckled Teal (about 30%) and Silver Teal (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-headed Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Buenos Aires (415 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
