- Anas cyanoptera
Breeding adult male
Upper Newport Bay, Newport Beach, Orange County, California, USA.
Identification
Small dabbling duck.
Adult Male
- Cinnamon-red head and body
- Brown back
- Red eye
- Dark bill
Adult Female
- Mottled brown body
- Pale brown head
- Brown eyes
- Grey bill
Similar Species
Female very similar to female Blue-winged Teal
Distribution
Western North and South America. They are migratory and most winter in Central and South America, generally not migrating as far as the Blue-winged Teal. Occurs as vagrants in the Caribbean.
Taxonomy
It is usually placed in genus Anas, most closely allied to the shovelers and Blue-winged Teal. These species are sometimes separated into a distinct genus Spatula.
Subspecies1 are A. c. septentrionalium (Northern Cinnamon Teal), A. c. tropica (Tropical Cinnamon Teal), A. c. borreroi (Borrero's Cinnamon Teal), A. c. orinomus (Andean Cinnamon Teal) and A. c. cyanoptera (Argentine Cinnamon Teal). Borrero's Cinnamon Teal, located only in the highlands of Columbia, is possibly extinct.
Habitat
Marshes and ponds
Behavior
Breeding
Generally select new mates each year.
Diet
These birds feed by dabbling. They mainly eat plants; their diet may include molluscs and aquatic insects.
References
- Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
