The Southern Pochard lives around Andean wetlands and flowing waters, often in pairs or small groups.
The male has a black head, neck, and breast with a purple sheen, a gray-brown back, and a brownish belly. Its bill is blue with a black nail; the female’s bill is dark. The nominate subspecies recorded in Argentina is 49 cm long and has dark legs.
It uses Andean lagoons, rivers, and streams, occurring in pairs or small groups. Its diet includes seeds, grains, aquatic plants, crustaceans, and mollusks.
The nominate subspecies recorded in Argentina builds a nest of grasses over the water and lays 6–13 cream-colored eggs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.