the White-cheeked Pintail is a resident of mangrove swamps, small lakes, and coastal lagoons. They forage primarily for aquatic plants and seeds from the surface of the water by head-dipping and upending. It is a Dabbling duck which are typically birds of fresh, shallow marshes and rivers rather than of large lakes and bays. It is spottily ditributed throughout South America and the Caribbean. There are currently three recognized subspecies of White-cheeked Pintail including a sendentary population on the Galapagos Islands.