Return of Bird of the Week: Kelp Goose
This is a strange goose, endemic to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. It’s sexually dimorphic: the male is bright white with very large yellow legs; the female is dark brown with a heavily barred neck and chest, and a white eye ring.
Male (L) and Female (R) Kelp Goose, Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina
Kelp Geese are found exclusively on coasts and islets, generally on rocky or pebbly shores. It feeds only on the algae and seaweed growing on the rocks. This is probably the Hybridia subspecies.
The species is poorly known to ornithologists. Even the population is a guess: 15,000. The species is not believed to be endangered.
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