Blue-billed teal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue-billed teal |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Spatula
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| Species: |
hottentota
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| Synonyms | |
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Anas punctata Burchell, 1822 (senior synonym) |
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The blue-billed teal, also called the spotted teal or Hottentot teal (Spatula hottentota), is a type of dabbling duck. These ducks live in eastern and southern Africa. You can find them from Sudan and Ethiopia west to Niger and Nigeria. They also live south to South Africa and Namibia. In west Africa and Madagascar, they stay in one place.
Blue-billed teals breed all year long. Their breeding depends on when it rains. They usually stay in small groups or pairs. They build their nests above water in tree stumps. They use plants and other natural materials for their nests. Baby ducks, called ducklings, leave the nest soon after they hatch. The mother duck protects them from predators. She also leads them to places where they can find food. These ducks eat both plants and small animals. They like shallow water bodies.
The blue-billed teal is part of an agreement to protect birds. This agreement is called the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). The IUCN Red List says the blue-billed teal is a species of Least Concern. This means it is not currently in danger.
Some people still call this duck the Hottentot teal. However, the word "Hottentot" is a term that can be offensive. It was used for the Khoisan people. Because of this, there is a movement to change the duck's common name.
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About the Blue-billed Teal
What is a Blue-billed Teal?
The scientific name for the blue-billed teal is Spatula hottentota. It used to be called Anas punctata. This name was changed because of confusion with old scientific samples. It was also known as Anas hottentota and Querquedula hottentota.
Scientists consider the blue-billed teal a single species. This means there are no different types or subspecies of this duck.
How to Identify a Blue-billed Teal
Adult male blue-billed teals have a dark brown crown (top of the head). Their face, throat, and chest are lighter. They have a black patch near their ear. The back of their neck has black spots. These spots continue down their neck and chest. The spots on their sides and belly are lighter brown. Their tail and shoulder feathers are dark brown or black. Their upper wings are also blackish. They have a shiny green patch on their secondary feathers. This patch has thin black and white stripes. Their eyes are brown. Their legs and feet are bluish-gray. Their bill is light bluish-gray with a black top and tip.
Female blue-billed teals have browner crowns. Their face markings are not as strong. Their wing colors are less bright than the males'.
Young ducks, called juveniles, look like adult females. But they are duller in color. Baby ducklings are grayish-brown on top. They are yellowish-gray underneath. Their cheeks are paler with a pinkish tint. They have a gray-brown ear patch.
Size and Weight of the Blue-billed Teal
In 1965, scientists D. D. Thomas and J. B. Condy said the blue-billed teal was the smallest known duck.
Here are some average measurements:
- Length: 330–350 mm (about 13-14 inches)
- Weight: 53-288 grams (about 2-10 ounces)
- Wing: 147–157 mm (about 6 inches)
- Tail: 55–66 mm (about 2-2.5 inches)
- Bill: 32–42 mm (about 1.2-1.6 inches)
- Eggs: About 43×33 mm (1.7x1.3 inches) and weigh 25 grams (0.9 ounces). They are creamy in color.
Where Blue-billed Teals Live
Blue-billed Teal Distribution
The blue-billed teal lives in many parts of Africa. Its range includes Angola, Zambia, eastern Congo, Malawi, northern Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, southern Ethiopia, Sudan, and Madagascar. They are mostly found in tropical eastern Africa. This goes from Ethiopia to Cape Province, and west to northern Botswana and Namibia.
Blue-billed Teal Habitat
Blue-billed teals like places with lots of floating plants. They also like areas with plants along the edges. This includes shallow fresh-water swamps and marshes. They also live in streams, small shallow lakes, and ponds. These places often have reeds or papyrus plants around them.
They spend the evening and night feeding in very shallow water. During the day, they move to deeper, safer parts of the marsh.
Blue-billed Teal Behavior
How Blue-billed Teals Move
Blue-billed teals stay in one place in West Africa and Madagascar. But in other areas, they migrate. They follow regular but sometimes unpredictable short routes. These routes can be up to 700 km (about 435 miles) long. They move in southern and eastern Africa when water levels change.
What Blue-billed Teals Eat
Blue-billed teals prefer to feed at muddy edges. They also feed on land and in flooded fields, like rice paddies. They will also eat in watery areas disturbed by farm animals. They feed in places with lots of plants. They do this by dabbling (sifting through water) or by walking. They do not dive when they are looking for food.
They eat both plants and animals. Their diet is mostly grass seeds, especially from the grass Sacciolepis. However, they also eat small water animals. These can include crustaceans like ostracods. They also eat molluscs and water insects. This includes beetles and their larvae (young forms). They eat these if there are many available.
Blue-billed Teal Calls
Both male and female blue-billed teals make clicking sounds. They make a harsh ke-ke-ke sound when they are bothered. They also make this sound when flying or in a group. Males make a unique rattling call. It sounds like a mechanical rattle. Females make a typical quack sound. They also have a call that gets quieter with only a few notes.
Social Life and Raising Young
The breeding behavior of the blue-billed teal is not very showy. Research suggests that the male and female bond only lasts during the female's incubation period. This means they likely form a new bond each year. Most breeding happens in summer. But these ducks also breed in winter. So, you can see their courtship behavior all year.
A common display is the female encouraging the male. She does this by moving sideways, often silently. Males usually respond by swimming ahead and turning the back of their head. Sometimes, males might respond by "burping." They raise their neck and make a soft mechanical series of calls. They might even combine these two actions. During social displays, ducks often flap their wings. They also stretch both wings. This seems to be an important part of their display.
Before mating, both ducks pump their heads. After mating, the male might shake, flap his wings, or burp. The female usually just bathes after mating. These ducks usually lay 6 to 8 eggs. Seven eggs is the most common number. However, one study found that families had 1 to 7 ducklings, with 3 being most common. Eggs hatch after 25 to 27 days. The male might stay nearby while the female sits on the eggs. But he does not help raise the ducklings. As far as we know, they do not have more than one group of babies at a time. But if a nest fails, they might try to nest again.
Protecting the Blue-billed Teal
The blue-billed teal is a Least Concern species on the IUCN Red List. This means it is not in immediate danger. However, losing their habitat is a threat to these ducks. Protecting wetlands and plants along the water will help them. Controlling hunting will also help keep their population healthy.
