Ringed teal

Physical features

The males have a finely speckled, salmon colored breast, a rich chestnut back, and pale gray flanks. A black band runs from the top of its head down to the nape of the neck.
The female has an olive brownish back with a head blotched and striated with white. She has barring on a pale chest and belly, with a dark tail and a contrasting pale rump.
Ringed teal are small ducks, about 10 inches long, with a wingspan of about 216 inches. They generally weigh about 11-12 ounces.

Range – South America, from southern Bolivia, Paraguay, and southwestern Brazil to northeastern Argentina and Uruguay.
Habitat – Their habitats include tropical, swampy forests and marshy clearings in well-wooded lowlands, as well as secluded pools and small streams.

Wild – Ringed teal feed predominantly on water plants and seeds, with some insects.
Zoo – In the zoo, they will eat various grains and greens plus waterfowl pellets.

As part of his courtship display, the male will flash his iridescent wing patches toward a female to attract her attention.
Breeding always takes place on the water. Pair bonds are very strong, but they do not necessarily mate for life.
Ringed teal build their nests in tree cavities, and line them with down. 6-10 eggs are laid and are incubated for about 29 days. The female incubates the eggs but the male assists in caring for the young. Breeding is timed so that it coincides with the best possible weather and food availability.
The chicks are precocial, meaning that they are well developed when they are hatched. They follow their mother out of the nest only a day or two after hatching, tumbling to the ground but seldom getting hurt. As their plumage needs to be water repellent when they leave the nest, they rub against their mother’s abdominal plumage to get the necessary oil. They eat on their own, taking aquatic vegetation and insects as demonstrated by the adults. They are able to fly 50-55 days after hatching.

Major threats: Hunting
In Brazil the traditional lack of hunting laws allow special canons loaded with lead shot to be used to shoot ringed teals by the dozens.
The tradition of burning on ranches to clear land often coincides with the ducks molting periods in which they are flightless. This kills many ducks.
Reserves are now being suggested to preserve the habitat of the Ringed teals as well as laws to limit hunting. These have not taken effect yet but are being counted on in the near future.

Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park. (2008). Binghamton Zoo Animals: Ringed Teal. Retrieved January 16, 2008, from the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park Web site: http://www.rossparkzoo.com/animals/ringedteal.htm.
Lincoln Park Zoo (2008). Ringed Teal. Retrieved from the Lincoln Park Zoo Web site: http://www.lincolnzoo.org/animals/Ringed_Teal.html.
North Carolina Zoo. (2008). Ringed Teal. Retrieved from January 16, 2008, the North Carolina Zoo Web site: http://www.nczoo.org/animal_id/na_aviary_ringed_teal.cfm.
Twycross Zoo. (2004). Twycross Zoo Animal Information Sheet: Ringed Teal. Retrieved January 16, 2008, from the Twycross Zoo Web site: http://www.twycrosszoo.com/PDF/ringed%20teal.pdf.

Updated January 2008