White-cheeked pintail

It is found in the Caribbean, South America, and the Galápagos Islands.^[4] It occurs on waters with some salinity, such as brackish lakes, estuaries and mangrove swamps.^[4]

There are three subspecies:

• A. b. bahamensis—lesser Bahama pintail^[2]—in the Caribbean, and a vagrant to southern Florida
• A. b. rubirostris—greater Bahama pintail^[2]—in South America; it may be partly migratory, breeding in Argentina and wintering further north.^[4]
• A. b. galapagensis—Galápagos pintail^[2]—in the Galápagos Islands

Like many southern ducks, the sexes are similar. It is mainly brown with white cheeks and a red-based grey bill (young birds lack the pink). It cannot be confused with any other duck in its range.^[4]

The white-cheeked pintail feeds on aquatic plants (such as Ruppia), grass seeds, algae^[5][6] and small creatures (such as insects and small aquatic invertebrates)^[5][6] obtained by dabbling. The nest is on the ground under vegetation and near water.^[4]

It is popular in wildfowl collections, and escapees are frequently seen in a semi-wild condition in Europe. A leucistic (whitish) variant is known in aviculture as the silver Bahama pintail.^[2]

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  Caribbean white-cheeked pintail with 9 ducklings
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  Adult on left with red at the base of its beak and a juvenile with an all black bill on the right
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  Whitish variant
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  Two white-cheeked pintails on the Island of Santa Cruz in the Galápagos Islands
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  Taken in the Galápagos Islands

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anas bahamensis.

Wikispecies has information related to Anas bahamensis.

• White-cheeked pintail videos, photos, and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection