Distribution and conservation of the torrent duck (Merganetta armata colombiana) in Venezuela

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This final report presents the partial results of a survey of the torrent duck distribution and status in Venezuela, carried out during 2005 and 2006. With this information, they hope to design a pragmatic conservation action plan for this species in Venezuela.

The torrent duck (Merganetta armata) is a bird native only to South America. It is the only species of waterfowl adapted to live in the fast flowing river in the Andean mountains. They occur in a wide geographic range along both sides of the Andean Mountain Range, at elevations between 1800 – 3700 m., extending along some 8000 km “Cordillera de Mérida” in the northwest Venezuela to “Tierra del Fuego” at the southern limit of Argentina.

The torrent duck’s distribution has been severely fragmented due to habitat conversion since it shares with humans some of the most intensively-used and threatened landscape of the continent. Consequently, the torrent duck populations are thought to be declining due to competition for food with the introduced trout, pollution, forest destruction, and damming of mountain rivers for hydroelectric developments.

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Latin America | Global
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Publication language: 
English
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