White-cheeked Pintail, Galapagos Islands by David Whited

White-cheeked Pintail, Galapagos Islands

David Whited

White-cheeked Pintail, Galapagos Islands

Digital photography

Inv: PH-1666

The White-cheeked Pintail (*Anas bahamensis*), also known as the Bahama pintail, is a medium-sized dabbling duck found throughout the Caribbean, coastal South America, and the Galápagos Islands, easily recognized by its warm cinnamon-brown body, contrasting white cheeks and throat, and a distinctive red-and-blue patch at the base of its bill. Unlike its highly migratory pintail relatives in North America, this species is largely non-migratory, favoring shallow lagoons, brackish lakes, and mangrove-lined coastal wetlands where it feeds by dabbling and upending in the water for seeds, aquatic invertebrates, and algae rather than diving. In the Galápagos, where it's the only duck species present, it's often spotted in saltwater lagoons on islands like Rábida and Floreana, sometimes alongside flamingos, and while generally shy and quick to take flight when disturbed, it has adapted well to the archipelago's unique conditions with no major conservation concerns, maintaining stable populations across its range.