The ashy-headed goose (Chloephaga poliocephala) is a species of waterfowl in tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae. It is found in Argentina and Chile.
Taxonomy and systematics
The ashy-headed goose is monotypic.
Distribution and habitat
The ashy-headed goose is a bird of South America's southern cone from central Chile and Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, south into Tierra del Fuego. It also occurs as vagrant on the Falkland Islands and has bred there. In summer it primarily inhabits clearings in damp forests of southern beech (Nothofagus sp.) around lakes and marshes, on inland islands, near the coast, and on higher ground. In winter it favors meadows and pastures.
Behavior
Movement
The ashy-headed goose nests south of 37° south latitude in Chile and western Argentina. In winter much of the population moves further north in Chile and onto the Argentinian Pampas. The species is "[r]elatively free from human persecution at [the] breeding grounds" but in winter is persecuted by farmers who view it as a competitor to their livestock.