Kingdom Animalia Subfamily Anatinae Scientific name Anas cyanoptera Higher classification Anas Order Anseriformes | Family Anatidae Genus Anas Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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Similar Bird, Blue‑winged teal, American wigeon, Eurasian teal, Anas | ||
Male cinnamon teal
The cinnamon teal (Anas cyanoptera) is a species of duck found in western North and South America. It is a small dabbling duck, with bright reddish plumage on the male and duller brown plumage on the female. It lives in marshes and ponds, and feeds mostly on plants.
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Description
The adult male has a cinnamon-red head and body with a brown back, a red eye and a dark bill. The adult female has a mottled brown body, a pale brown head, brown eyes and a grey bill and is very similar in appearance to a female blue-winged teal; however its overall color is richer, the lore spot, eye line, and eye ring are less distinct. Its bill is longer and more spatulate. Male juvenile resembles a female cinnamon or blue-winged teal but their eyes are red. They are 16 in (41 cm) long, have a 22-inch (560 mm) wingspan, and weigh 14 oz (400 g). They have 2 adult molts per year and a third molt in their first year.
Distribution
Their breeding habitat is marshes and ponds in western United States and extreme southwestern Canada, and are rare visitors to the east coast of the United States. Cinnamon teal generally select new mates each year. They are migratory and most winter in northern South America and the Caribbean, generally not migrating as far as the blue-winged teal. Some winter in California and southwestern Arizona.
Behavior
These birds feed by dabbling. They mainly eat plants; their diet may include molluscs and aquatic insects.
Taxonomy
The cinnamon teal is a member of the genus Anas, the largest genus of dabbling ducks.
They are known to interbreed with blue-winged teals, which are very close relatives.
Subspecies are:
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