Grey teal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grey teal |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Anas
|
| Species: |
gracilis
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Anas gibberifrons gracilis |
|
_Adelaide.jpg)
The grey teal (Anas gracilis) is a type of dabbling duck. You can find it in open wetlands across Australia and New Zealand.
Contents
What Does the Grey Teal Look Like?
This duck is mostly mottled brown. It has cool white and green flashes on its wings. A special feature is its crimson-colored eyes. This color is brighter in adult males.
Both male and female grey teals look similar. This is different from the chestnut teal. Female chestnut teals look very much like grey teals. You can tell them apart because the grey teal has a lighter neck and a paler face.
Young grey teals are paler than adults. Their eyes are a dull brown until they grow up. The grey teal's bill is blue-grey with dark edges. Its feet are also grey. Its head is plain or slightly streaked. It has a dark crown and cream-colored chin and cheeks.
Grey teal eggs are creamy white. They do not have speckles. An average egg is about 49.3 mm (1.94 in) long and 35.6 mm (1.40 in) wide.
Where Do Grey Teals Live?
Global Home of the Grey Teal
Grey teals breed in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Indonesia. You might also see them in the Solomons and New Caledonia. There, they are just visiting.
Grey Teals in New Zealand
Grey teals came to New Zealand from Australia on their own. They were rare in New Zealand until the 1950s. Then, many natural events in Australia caused their numbers to grow. Now, they are a common waterbird in New Zealand. Their Māori name is tētē.
You can find more grey teals in places like Hawke's Bay and Waikato. They are also common around Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury. Grey teals have even been seen on small islands like the Chatham Islands. The New Zealand population is smaller than Australia's.
Grey Teal Habitats
Grey teals love shallow water areas. This includes lagoons, swamps, and shallow freshwater lakes. Shallow water makes it easy for ducklings to swim and find food. This helps the young birds survive.
They also like places with lots of plants and vegetation around the edges. You won't often see them in wide-open spaces. While they prefer freshwater for breeding, they sometimes visit coastal or salty waters.
Grey teals usually live below 300 m (980 ft) above sea level. They don't often go above 900 m (3,000 ft). When nesting, they build nests on the ground among reeds and tall grasses. They also sometimes nest in tree hollows.
Grey Teal Life Cycle
Reproduction and Family Life
Male grey teals do special displays to attract a mate. These include headshakes and head rolls. Young birds do these before breeding. Older birds in a pair use courtship rituals. This is because grey teals usually stay with the same mate for many seasons. They are monogamous.
Couples stay together all year. After breeding, they often join large flocks. They might feed together in estuaries on exposed mudflats.
Grey teals usually start breeding when they are one year old. In Australia, they breed when there is enough rain and food. They can breed in shallow, temporary water. In New Zealand, breeding is more seasonal. It still depends on water levels. They tend to breed in the summer-rainfall period. They will also breed after a lot of rain. So, in New Zealand, eggs are laid between June and September. But they can lay more eggs until January.
Nesting is usually private for grey teals. But sometimes nests are close together. Nests are often in tree hollows or hidden in vegetation on the ground. Grey teals use grass and down from their nesting site. Females make a bowl in the ground. They fill it with litter and surround it with down. They lay between 1 and 7 eggs at a time.
Nesting happens from June to February in South Australia. It's a bit later in North Australia due to temperature. In New Zealand, grey teals nest from September to November.
During the incubation period, the male guards the female and eggs. She incubates them for 25–31 days. A group of eggs, called a clutch, usually has 6 to 14 eggs. Each egg is laid about every 24 hours, early in the morning. If a pair loses their young, they will lay new eggs a few weeks later. Some pairs may lay several clutches per season. On average, grey teals have about two groups of young per season.
Female grey teals raise the young by themselves. But if needed, the male will take over. Males are often present later when the female lays her next eggs. After hatching, parents and young stay close for weeks. Once the young can fly, they become independent. Siblings often stay together for a short time after leaving home.
Young grey teals can fly when they are 35 to 40 days old. Before that, ducklings are grey-brown. They have off-white cheeks and undersides. Both male and female grey teals can start having their own young at one year old. They often find a mate in their first winter.
Grey Teal Calls
The grey teal's call sounds like a fast cuck, cuck, cuck with a sharp whistle. Male and female calls are different. The male's call is more of a whistle. The female's call is very loud and harsh. For talking over short distances, they have softer calls. The grey teal's voice is very similar to the chestnut teal.
How Grey Teals Move Around
Grey teals are great travelers. They fly long distances. Unlike birds in stable climates, grey teals don't have a set migration season. They live in places where resources like water can be temporary. So, they must be able to find new places with resources all year round.
Studies show that grey teals fly long distances in Australia. Many of these flights happen because of rain or floods. These events can be hundreds of kilometers away. Grey teals can detect these changes and move towards them. This helps them find shallow wetlands with food and good breeding spots.
They might move to search for food or a place to breed. These flights can cover up to 1,200 km (750 mi) across dry inland areas. This movement helps them adapt to changes like dry periods or lack of food. This behavior is sometimes called 'ranging' rather than 'migration'. Grey teals in New Zealand are also very mobile. This means their local populations can change quickly.
Grey teals use different clues to move. They might sense changes in air pressure from weather systems. They also use low-frequency sounds, temperature, and visual clues like lack of food. They might even use their sense of smell. For example, they can detect distant thunderstorms. These storms produce low-frequency sounds that grey teals can hear. This helps them find new wetland habitats.
How Long Do Grey Teals Live?
Studies show how long grey teals live. About 68% of young grey teals die in their first year. By two years old, 77% have died. By four years old, 85% have died. This means young birds (2–4 months old) live about 0.96 more years after being banded. Grey teals that survive to one year old are expected to live another 2.9 years.
For adult grey teals, about 50% die each year. For young birds, it's about 68%. In Australia, similar numbers were found: 52% for adults and 66% for young. So, grey teals usually live between 2 and 4 years. But some live much longer! The oldest wild grey teal recorded in New Zealand was 9 years old. In Australia, one lived to be 21 years old.
What Do Grey Teals Eat?
Grey teals mostly eat small water creatures, called invertebrates. These include larva of midges, water beetles, mosquitoes, and caddisflies. They also eat seeds from water plants. Their diet changes depending on where they are and the time of year. In Australia, they mostly eat plants, especially seeds. This makes up 87-97% of their diet.
They eat insects all year, but more in spring. Molluscs and crustaceans are also important in spring and autumn. Young ducklings in Australia eat only insects at first. But by four weeks old, insects are only about 30% of their diet.
Grey teals find food by digging in estuary mudflats or along lake edges. They filter out food. They also dabble and upend in shallow water. This helps them collect small creatures from just below the surface. To get seeds, they strip them from water plants.
During breeding season, they feed in pairs or family groups. After breeding, they often feed in large flocks. Ducklings must find their own food. Parents do not feed them. Grey teals feed in both the morning and at night.
Dangers to Grey Teals
Not much is known about what harms grey teals. In Australia, they are considered a game bird. This means hunters can shoot them because there are many of them. But in New Zealand, the grey teal is a protected species. This means they cannot be hunted because their numbers are lower there.
Young grey teals are more at risk from predators than adults. Other birds can snatch ducklings from nests. In the water, ducklings are in danger from eels, rats, and swamp harriers. When adult grey teals are with their young, they can be attacked by ferrets and stoats.
A known parasite called Sarcocystis can affect water birds. It's also called rice breast disease. This disease usually doesn't show symptoms. But if it's severe, it can make birds weak or lame. This makes them easier targets for predators. While not specifically found in grey teals, this parasite targets water birds.
The grey teal is one of three ducks known to carry the virus Dalvirus anatis.
Conservation Status
The grey teal, Anas gracilis, is fully protected in New Zealand. In 1976, there were about 20,000 birds. By 2005, this increased to 50,000. In 2014, there were about 120,000 grey teals in New Zealand. Globally, there were over 1 million. Since they are now common in New Zealand, the government thought about allowing hunting in 2010. But they decided to keep them protected. If someone kills a protected bird, there are penalties. It can be hard for hunters not to shoot grey teals. They often fly among large flocks of game ducks. At least 6% of the grey teal population is shot during hunting season.
In contrast, in Australia, the grey teal is one of the most common birds hunted. For example, in 2014, the hunting season in Victoria lasted 3 months. Hunters could shoot up to 10 grey teals daily.
Images for kids
-
A pair of grey teals
