Cinnamon Teal

Overview

The cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera) is a small dabbling duck found in western North and South America, distinguished by the bright reddish plumage of males and the duller brown plumage of females. Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, this species generally selects new mates each year and is migratory, with most populations wintering in northern South America and the Caribbean.

Identification

• Adult males feature a cinnamon-red head and body with a brown back, red eye, and dark bill.
• Adult females have a mottled brown body and pale brown head with a grey bill; they resemble female blue-winged teals but possess richer overall color and less distinct lores, eye line, and eye ring.
• Males measure 16 in (41 cm) in length with a 22-inch (560 mm) wingspan and weigh approximately 14 oz (400 g).
• The bill is longer and more spatulate than that of the blue-winged teal.

Habitat

Breeding habitat consists of marshes and ponds in the western United States and extreme southwestern Canada, with rare occurrences in the eastern United States. The species is migratory, with most individuals wintering in northern South America and the Caribbean, though some populations remain in California and southwestern Arizona. Two subspecies reside within the Andes of South America, with one occupying low elevations and the other found between 3500–4600 meters.

Diet

As dabbling ducks, they take most of their food at or near the surface of a body of water, feeding primarily on plants such as seeds of Carex sp. A breeding population studied in Arizona also consumed aquatic fly larvae and snails, while the broader diet may include molluscs and aquatic insects. They can feed like northern shovelers, following each other in tight groups as they slowly move across an area.

Did you know?

Cinnamon teal are known to interbreed with blue-winged teals, which are very close relatives. A single young male spotted in Grimsby, Ontario, became a tourist attraction due to its rarity outside of western Canada.