HABITAT AND RANGE:
Ringed Teal ducks are found in South
America, from southern Bolivia,
Paraguay, and southwestern Brazil to
northeastern Argentina and Uruguay.
Their habitats include tropical, swampy
forests and marshy clearings in
well-wooded lowlands, as well as
secluded pools and small streams.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Roughly translated, the Latin name of
the Ringed Teal, Callonetta leucophrys,
means “the beautiful duck with the white
wing patches.” Typical of the wood duck
family, Ringed Teal have iridescent
greenish plumage patterns, especially on
their wings, and the white wing patches
are one of their distinguishing
characteristics. 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
14-15 inches long, with a wingspan of
about 28 inches. They generally weigh
about 11-12 ounces.
ADAPTATIONS:
The wood duck family is unusual in that
they are perching ducks. They have
fairly long toes and strong, pointed
claws on their feet, making it easy for
them to perch in trees. Their webbed
feet allow for easy swimming, as well as
support on mud and floating vegetation.
Ringed teal are surface feeders and are
able to use their coarse lamellae almost
like teeth to cut vegetation. Lamella
means “little plates” and refers to the
plates along the bill-edge of ducks.
They generally feed by immersing the
head, neck, and front of the body under
water with the tail in the air, grazing
on submerged plants. This behavior is
known as “dabbling” or “puddling.”
Though they are surface ducks, ringed
teal can dive underwater to escape
predators. However, they seldom dive
deeper than one meter. While swimming,
they hold their tails horizontally so
that they do not touch the surface of
the water. After dabbling, they flap
their wings vigorously a few times to
shake out any water that might have
entered the wing pockets or other air
spaces.
DIET:
In the wild, ringed teal feed
predominantly on water plants and seeds,
with some insects. In the zoo, they will
eat various grains and greens.
REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:
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. 6-12 eggs are laid and are
incubated for about 29 days, with the
male and female taking turns incubating
the eggs and caring for the young.
Hatching 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.
STATUS IN WILD:
Ringed teal are not common, but they are
not globally threatened. Little is known
about their numbers in the wild, but
they seem to be locally abundant in
certain areas.
