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1 June 2015 Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata) Diving and Feeding in Hot Springs
Gerardo Cerón
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Abstract

Opportunistic behavior in birds can enhance the ability of a species to expand their distribution. Currently, there is no documentation of any bird diving and feeding in hot springs with temperatures greater than 30 °C. A pair of Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata) feeding in a hot spring with temperatures between 36–50 °C is described. The diet and food availability in this hot spring was studied in a Torrent Duck territory. While the sector of stream with hot waters represents only 13% of the territory of the Torrent Duck pair, prey collected there represented 30% of their diet. This is an extreme example of how this highly specialized species can also use a wide variety of environments.

Gerardo Cerón "Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata) Diving and Feeding in Hot Springs," Waterbirds 38(2), 214-216, (1 June 2015). https://doi.org/10.1675/063.038.0212
Received: 11 October 2014; Accepted: 11 January 2015; Published: 1 June 2015
KEYWORDS
geothermal habitat
hot springs
Merganetta armata
opportunistic behavior
Torrent Duck
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