Cinnamon Teal
A species of Anas Scientific name : Spatula cyanoptera Genus : Anas
Cinnamon Teal, A species of Anas
Botanical name: Spatula cyanoptera
Genus: Anas
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Description People often ask General Info
Description
The adult male has a cinnamon-red head and body with a brown back, a red eye and a dark bill. The adult female has a mottled brown body, a pale brown head, brown eyes and a grey bill and is very similar in appearance to a female blue-winged teal; however its overall color is richer, the lores, eye line, and eye ring are less distinct. Its bill is longer and more spatulate. Male juvenile resembles a female cinnamon or blue-winged teal but their eyes are red. They are 16 in (41 cm) long, have a 22-inch (560 mm) wingspan, and weigh 14 oz (400 g). They have 2 adult molts per year and a third molt in their first year. 
Size
23 - 41 cm
Life Expectancy
12 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Clutch Size
4 - 16 eggs
Incubation Period
1 - 2 broods
Number of Broods
21 - 25 days
Feeding Habits
Cinnamon Teal primarily feed on plant material like seeds and shoots of various marsh grasses, including alkali bulrush and smartweed. They also consume zooplankton, insects, and molluscs, foraging at or near the surface in tight groups, resembling the methods of Northern Shovelers.
Habitat
The cinnamon Teal populates freshwater wetlands in temperate to tropical zones across western North America, with a presence in South American wintering grounds. Preferring marshes dense with emergent vegetation like bulrushes and cattails, they adapt well from lowlands to mid-altitudes. They also inhabit streams, reservoirs, and, in winter, mangrove swamps and tidal estuaries.
Nest Behavior
Cinnamon Teal females select the nest site, construct it using nearby materials, and add down with egg-laying. They may raise the nest's elevation if the water level rises. Egg-laying and incubation details are specific to individual bird habits, but the nest adjustments suggest attentive parental care.
Nest Characteristics
Nest sites for cinnamon Teal are usually beneath marsh grasses less than 2 feet tall, near water. These sites benefit from early morning sun and afternoon shade. Nests are shallow depressions lined with local vegetation, such as rushes and grasses, and insulated with down. They measure on average 7.3 inches across, with a cavity of 5 inches by 2 inches.
Dite type
Omnivorous
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General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Behavior
The cinnamon Teal exhibits a series of complex displays during its courtship season, involving meticulous preening, head movements, feeding simulations, and 'jump flights' to attract mates. These waterfowl are prone to polygamy, with males often courting multiple females. Territory and nest protection is a priority, with males actively guarding their mates and defending their territory against intruders, including other cinnamon Teal and Blue-winged Teal. Outside of the breeding season, cinnamon Teal become more gregarious, assembling in flocks for molting and migration, adopting a more peaceable hierarchy as the males lose their distinctive breeding plumage.
Distribution Area
Their breeding habitat is marshes and ponds in western United States and extreme southwestern Canada, and are rare visitors to the east coast of the United States. Cinnamon teal generally select new mates each year. They are migratory and most winter in northern South America and the Caribbean, generally not migrating as far as the blue-winged teal. Some winter in California and southwestern Arizona. Two subspecies of cinnamon teal reside within the Andes of South America. The smaller sized S. c. cyanoptera is widespread within low elevations (<1000m) such as the coast of Peru and southern Argentina, whereas the larger size subspecies S. c. orinomus occupies elevations of 3500-4600 meters in the central Andes.
