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  Profile

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  In flight

Waterfowl

Andean Goose

Chloephaga melanoptera

• uncommon
• 70 km/h
• Least Concern

Lives above 3,000m on Andean bofedales. Barely swims, grazes alpine cushion plants at altitude.

Population

~25,000–100,000 individuals (16,700–66,700 mature), stable trend

Habitat

High-Andean bogs, marshes, peatlands, and lake/lagoon shores; freshwater and terrestrial wetlands from roughly 300–5,000 m elevation, mostly above 3,000 m

Fun fact

Andean Geese carry a hemoglobin mutation that greatly boosts oxygen affinity in their blood, letting them live and breed year-round at elevations up to 5,000 m where oxygen is scarce.

Range

Andes of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina (extent of occurrence ~2,550,000 km²)

Diet

Almost entirely herbivorous grazer — grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants (e.g. Chara, Lilaeopsis, Myriophyllum, Nostoc)

Size

0.75 m