Description
Males have a
cinnamon-red head, neck, breast, and belly. They have an iridescent green speculum which
is separated from a bluish shoulder patch by a white stripe. The back, rump, uppertail
coverts, and tail are a dull brown and the undertail coverts are black. They have a
distinctive red eye, and yellow feet and legs. Females are similar to the female
blue-winged teal except for the blue shoulder patch is duller, they have an overall
rustier color, and they are more heavily streaked.
Average length:
M 16", F 15?"
Average weight:
M 0.7 lbs., F 0.8 lbs
Migrating and
Wintering
Nearly all cinnamon
teal winter in Mexico and Central America. During migration they stopover in the Great
Salt Lake marshes and Central Valley of California. Cinnamon teal sighted in the midwest
and eastern United States, often are associated with a flock of blue-winged teal, most
likely attaching themselves to the flock at their mutual breeding grounds.
Breeding
Most cinnamon teal
breed in the western United States. The Great Salt Lake, Malheur Basin, San Luis Valley,
and Cariboo-Chilcotin parklands are all used by breeding cinnamon teal. They prefer small,
shallow alkaline wetlands surrounded by low herbaceous cover. Nests are often located in
grassy areas and island nesting is common.
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