White-bellied Seedsnipe Attagis malouinus Scientific name definitions

The White-bellied Seedsnipe is a large, bulky, and beautifully-marked seedsnipe of wild habitats in Patagonia, where it is endemic. Except for the coloration of the underparts, it is structurally similar to the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe (Attagis gayi). In the southern tip of South America, it occupies—in ecological terms—a niche similar to that of the ptarmigans (Lapogus spp.) from the Northern Hemisphere. This seedsnipe is an inhabitant of Andean moorland and lowland steppes, feeding on mosses and seeds. During the breeding season, it nests only in rocky alpine regions, where its density is low, while during migration, it is known to descend to low steppes during the winter, where flocks of dozens to hundreds of individuals are formed. It has been recorded as a vagrant in the Falklands/Malvinas, where anecdotally it was formerly described.