General

Cinnamon Teal: Small dabbling duck with scaled, dark brown upperparts and cinnaon-brown underparts, head, and neck. Eyes are red and bill is relatively long and dark. Green speculum and pale blue shoulder patch on wing are separated by white line. Female and juvenile are brown-scaled overall with dull blue shoulder patches, dark eyes, and pale edges around upper mandibles. Eclipse male resembles female but has faint cinnamon-brown wash over most of body, red eyes, and dark bill.

Range and Habitat

Cinnamon Teal: Breeds in western U.S. near Great Salt Lake, Malheur Basin, San Luis Valley, and Cariboo-Chilcotin parklands and winters in Mexico and Central America. Preferred habitats include marshes and shallow ponds.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"peep", "peer"

Interesting Facts

 The Cinnamon Teal is the only duck with separate breeding populations in North America and South America.

 The female often places her nest below matted, dead stems of vegetation so it is completely concealed on all sides and from above. She approaches the nest through tunnels in the vegetation.

 A group of cinnamon teal are collectively known as a "seasoning" of teal.

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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