steamer duck

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steamer duck

bird

Also known as: Tachyeres

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Related Topics:: Tachyeres leucocephalus; Tachyeres brachypterus; Tachyeres pteneres; Tachyeres patachonicus; Tadornini

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steamer duck, (genus Tachyeres), any of four species of heavily built, big-billed sea ducks of southernmost South America and the Falkland Islands. The bird is named for its habit of running across the water with wings thrashing like a paddle-wheel steamboat. Of the four species, T. pteneres, T. brachypterus, and T. leucocephalus are flightless and a bit larger than the mallard-size flying steamer duck, T. patachonicus. Steamer ducks are classified in a tribe of their own, Tachyerini, family Anatidae (order Anseriformes).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.