This species closely resembles the Flightless Steamer-Duck (T. pteneres), but Flying Steamer-Duck is slightly smaller and slimmer with a less goose-like bill. This is a male. Females are similar but have a dark bill. Of the four species of steamer-duck, this is usually claimed to be the only one that can fly. However it seldom does and we did not observe this species in flight. Apparently not all individuals are able to fly. Furthermore, it appears that a small percentage of Falkland (T. brachypterus) and White-headed (T. leucocephalus) Steamer-Ducks can fly. Past claims of Flying Steamer-Duck on the Falklands were apparently misidentifications. Only the Flightless Steamer-Duck (T. pteneres) is completely flightless. (Fulton et al. 2012). Some authors (IOC & H&M4) leave out the hyphen, but "Steamer-Duck" is a compound name with the hyphen serving to indicate a monophyletic group. All authoritiative South American publications use the hyphen.
