STEAMER DUCK 



TACHYERES CINEREUS (Gmelin) 

 (Plate 65) 



Synonymy 

 Anas cinerea Gmelin, Linne's Systema Naturae, ed. 13, vol. 1, pt. 2, p. 506, 1789. 

 Anas brachyptera Latham, Index Ornith., vol. 2, p. 834, 1790. 

 Anser cinereus Bonnaterre, Encyclop. Methodique, vol. 1, p. 112, 1790. 

 Anser brachypterus Vieillot, Nouveau Dictionnaire des Sci. Nat., vol. 23, p. 344, 1818. 

 Oidemia patachonica King, Zool. Journ., vol. 4, p. 100, 1828. 

 Micropterus patachonicus King, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 15, 1830. 

 Micropterus brachypterus King, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 15, 1830. 

 Micropterus cinereus G. R. Gray, List Genera Birds, p. 74, 1840. 

 Anas pteneros Forster, Descriptiones Animalium, p. 338, 1844. 

 Fuligula cinerea Schlegel, Dierent., p. 274, fig., 1864. 

 Camptolaimus cinereus G. R. Gray, Hand-list, vol. 3, p. 88, 1871. 

 Tachyeres brachypterus Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. London, vol. 9, p. 254, 1875. 

 Tachyeres cinereus Sclater and Salvin, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 402, 1876. 

 Micropterus macropterus Giglioli, Viaggio Magenta, p. 934, 1876. 



Vernacular Names 



English: Steamer Duck, Racehorse (Duck), Loggerhead (Duck), Sea-horse, Canvas- 

 back. 

 German: Patagonische Riesenente. 

 French: Canard a vapeur, Oie de plein. 

 Spanish: Pato vapor, Quetar, Quaitar, Quetro, Quetru. 

 Fuegians: Alakuch (non- volant form), Tachka (volant form). 



DESCRIPTION 



Such is the confusion and uncertainty as to the possibility of more than one species of Steamer Duck 

 that I shall here describe the two main types of plumage and reserve for the text a discussion of the 

 whole subject. I regard the question of two races as yet unsolved but think we may go so far as to 

 say that the findings cannot all be explained on the basis of one natural species. 



Adult Male (gray phase, Tachyeres cinereus?) : Head light ashy gray, darker on the crown and fading 

 to pure white on the neck and throat. Mantle, scapulars, back, rump and upper tail-coverts uniform 

 slate gray, without darker or wine-colored edges to the feathers; tail gray like the rest. Breast, sides 

 and flanks the same color as the upper side; abdomen and under tail-coverts pure white. Wing with a 

 moderate carpal spur, slate gray like the back except for a conspicuous white speculum formed by the 

 tips of the greater coverts and all the outer secondaries. 



