Blue-billed Teal vs Silver Teal

Blue-billed Teal

Spatula hottentota

Medium276 gWetland

Adult males have dark brown crown contrasting with paler face, throat, breast and side except for a blackish thumb-shaped patch on the ear region. The back of the neck is spotted with black and this spotting extends down through the neck and become intensively spotted on the breast, the spots appear to be larger and less obvious on the light brown flanks and abdomen, and the posterior underparts and under tail coverts becoming vermiculated with black. The scapulars and tail are dark brown to black, the upper wing surface is blackish as well, with the coverts giving a greenish gloss.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: i_c_riddell · CC BY 4.0

Silver Teal

Spatula versicolor

Large595 gWetland

They have a black cap that extends below the eyes, and a bluish bill with a yellow tip. They also have a green speculum with a white border. The female's plumage is slightly duller and has less yellow at the base of the beak. The Puna teal was previously regarded as a subspecies of this bird. Currently, there are two subspecies: S. versicolor versicolor northern silver teal located in Paraguay, southern Bolivia, and southern Brazil. S. versicolor fretensis southern silver teal located in southern Chile, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sebastián Fornés · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Blue-billed Teal and Silver Teal.