Merganetta armata
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The torrent duck (Merganetta armata) is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is the only member of the genus Merganetta. It is placed in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae after the "perching duck" assemblage to which it was formerly assigned was dissolved because it turned out to be paraphyletic.
This 43–46-centimetre (17–18 in) long species is a resident breeder in the Andes of South America, nesting in small waterside caves and other sheltered spots. Like the blue duck, it holds territories on fast-flowing mountain rivers, usually above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). It is a powerful swimmer and diver even in white water but is reluctant to fly more than short distances. It is not particularly wary when located.
Male torrent ducks have a striking black and white head and neck pattern and a red bill. In-flight, they show dark wings with green speculum. Females of all subspecies are smaller than the drakes; they have orange underparts and throat, with the head and upperparts grey and a yellower bill. Juveniles are pale grey above and whitish below.
The male's call is a shrill whistle, while the female's is a throatier whistle. This is a declining species due to competition for its invertebrate food from introduced trout, pollution, forest destruction, and damming of mountain rivers for hydroelectric schemes. The Chilean population seems relatively stable, while the more northern ones are more seriously affected. However, the overall population is still large enough to warrant classification as a Species of Least Concern in the IUCN Redlist. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 2 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 6 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arequipa | 🇵🇪 Peru |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Torrent Duck sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 85th most-seen of the 112 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Torrent Duck in Lauca National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, May–July, September and November–December, the lowest months. Those are among Lauca National Park's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against almost none in May.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Torrent Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Torrent Duck sightings, Lauca National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 10%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Torrent Duck that you can see in Lauca National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Andean Goose (about 60%), Crested Duck (about 60%) and Speckled Teal (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Torrent Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Lauca National Park (43 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
