Brown Teal
Anas chlorotis
The Brown Teal (Anas chlorotis) is a rare ducks, swans, and geese found only in New Zealand, weighing about 499 g. The brown teal is a species of dabbling duck of the genus Anas native to New Zealand.
About the Brown Teal
The brown teal is a species of dabbling duck of the genus Anas native to New Zealand. It was long considered conspecific with the flightless Auckland and Campbell teals as Anas aucklandica; the name "brown teal" has also been largely applied to that entire taxon. Common in the early years of European colonisation, the species was heavily harvested as a food source. Its numbers quickly fell, especially in the South Island, and in 1921 it became fully protected. Captive breeding and releasing into predator-controlled areas was successful in establishing localised re-introduced populations after 2003.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
There are no distinctive differences between a male, female and a juvenile brown teal during non-mating season. They all have a white ring around their eyes as well as a mottled brown colour on their heads and throat. During breeding season the male will begin to change colour, now having a green coloured head, chestnut coloured breast and a white stripe on each side of their body. They will sometimes also have a white clerical neck band. This does vary as some males do tend to be more colourful than others.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Brown Teal can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Brown Teal?
- There are no distinctive differences between a male, female and a juvenile brown teal during non-mating season. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Brown Teal?
- The Brown Teal is a large sized bird weighing about 499 g.
- Where can you see a Brown Teal?
- The Brown Teal is endemic to New Zealand, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Brown Teal?
- The Brown Teal is most easily confused with the Hawaiian Duck, the Sunda Teal and the Andaman Teal.
- Is the Brown Teal endangered?
- The Brown Teal is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Brown Teal for real
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