Cinnamon Teal

This is a medium-sized dabbling duck that displays striking sexual dimorphism during the breeding season. Adult breeding males are distinguished by their intense cinnamon-red plumage covering the head, neck, breast, and flanks, contrasting sharply with a dark brownish-black back and a brilliant red iris. Females, on the other hand, exhibit a cryptic mottled brown plumage ideal for camouflage in wetland vegetation, featuring a dark crown, a faint eye-line, and a noticeably long, slightly spatulate bill that differentiates them from other female teals. In flight, both sexes reveal a prominent, vibrant sky-blue patch on the forewing, bordered by a white stripe and a glossy green speculum. The species has an average body length of 15 to 19 inches (38 to 48 centimeters), a wingspan of approximately 24 to 28 inches (60 to 70 centimeters), and a body weight ranging between 12 and 16 ounces (350 to 450 grams).

Geographical distribution: It is widely distributed across the Western Hemisphere, with distinct, disjoint populations nesting throughout North America and South America. In the northern part of its range, it breeds from southwestern Canada through the western United States down to northern Mexico, migrating to Central America and northern South America for the winter. In the southern continent, resident and migratory populations occur in the Andean highlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, as well as in the lowlands of Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southernmost Brazil, extending south into Patagonia and the Falkland Islands.

Habitat: This avian species primarily frequents shallow, calm freshwater or brackish wetlands rich in emergent vegetation. Its preferred environments include freshwater marshes, seasonal ponds, shallow lakes, alkaline wetlands, sluggish streams, agricultural canals, and irrigation ditches. It generally avoids fast-flowing rivers and deep open water bodies that lack protective shoreline cover, as it heavily relies on dense stands of bulrushes (Scirpus spp.) and cattails (Typha spp.) for roosting, nesting, and escaping potential predators.

Feeding: It has an omnivorous diet that changes seasonally depending on the local availability of resources. Feeding occurs primarily through dabbling, where the bird filters surface water or tips forward to reach the bottom of shallow pools. It consumes a high proportion of plant matter, including aquatic plant seeds, pondweeds, sedges, algae, and submerged vegetation. This herbivorous intake is supplemented by aquatic invertebrates, such as insect larvae, small crustaceans, snails, and beetles, which are essential sources of protein for females during the egg-laying period.

Behavior: Active during daylight hours, this species is typically seen in pairs or small family groups, exhibiting less gregarious tendencies than other ducks of the same genus outside of migration periods. During the breeding season, males perform elegant courtship rituals that include rhythmic head-pumping, rapid swimming around the female, and specialized wing-flashing to display the colorful blue forewing patches. It is an exceptionally agile flyer, capable of taking off almost vertically from the water’s surface when startled.

Nesting: Monogamous pairs form during the winter or during spring migration. The female selects a well-concealed nesting site on dry ground, usually within dense grassy or herbaceous vegetation close to the water´s edge. She constructs a shallow depression lined with dry grasses, weeds, and a dense layer of down feathers plucked from her own breast. A typical clutch consists of 4 to 11 cream-to-buff eggs. Incubation is performed solely by the female and lasts between 21 and 25 days, during which time the male usually departs to join other males in molting areas. The precocial chicks hatch covered in down and leave the nest within hours to follow the female, acquiring flight capabilities at approximately 7 to 8 weeks of age.

Conservation status: It is classified as a species of Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although its overall population remains relatively stable and its geographic range is extensive, localized populations face ongoing threats from habitat loss due to the drainage of wetlands for agricultural development, water pollution from pesticide runoff, and prolonged droughts linked to global climate change.