Giant Coot

yup it's not a duck

More pictures at this site: http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/giantcoot.html Chilean name: Tagua gigante The Giant Coot is distributed from south Peru through south-west Bolivia to northern Chile and north-west Argentina. It is found on lakes and ponds on the altiplano mainly between 3,600m and 5,000m. It is a very large coot with a distinctive head. The narrow frontal shield creates the look of two knobs on either side of the crown. The lower mandible is mainly red while the top of the bill is white with yellow edges and a red tip. It is the only coot with red legs. It constructs an enormous nest on a mound of aquatic vegetation and a pair will probably hold the same platform for life.