Species Spotlight: Ringed Teal

This week’s featured species is one of my favorite duck species: the Ringed Teal (Callonetta leucophrys). This small duck is native to South American forests. The males have a chestnut-red coloring on their back, grey flanks, and a salmon colored breast that is speckled with black. The head is distinctively marked with a black band running from its beak to its flank. The bill of the male is a light blue color. The hens are an overall brown color, however their heads are marked with white splotches and their breasts are penciled with white. Both sexes have a white rump, dark tail, and their infamous white ring on their wings; the ring is seen most clearly when they are in flight. Both sexes also have pink feet that have sharp claws, allowing them to perch and nest amongst the trees. The lovely part about these ducks is that the males do not have an eclipse plumage, so they remain colorful all year long. Ringed Teals also make a sound similar to that of a cat’s meow.

Ringed Teal do have a fairly stable population in the wild, and they are also well-represented in captivity. Ringed Teal are calm ducks that pose no challenges to raise. They also easily pair bond. The hens are great at incubating and rearing the ducklings, and the drakes even take part in protecting their family. In captivity there are various color mutations of Ringed Teal, like Blonde Ringed Teal, which I raise. Since they are native to warm regions of South America like Argentina and Paraguay, care needs to be taken to protect them from the elements during the extreme cold spells in the winter. This duck is a great species to keep to spruce up one’s collection, especially during the months when other species are in eclipse plumage.