Cinnamon Teal

The Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera) is a small, beautifully colored dabbling duck native to western North America and western South America. Known for the male's vibrant coppery-red breeding plumage, this species is a favorite find among birdwatchers in shallow wetlands. They are closely related to the Blue-winged Teal, with whom they share many physical and behavioral traits, including a striking sky-blue patch on the forewing that is highly visible during flight. Unlike many other North American waterfowl, the Cinnamon Teal has a largely western distribution and is migratory, nesting in quiet, vegetated marshes and wintering in milder climates.

Identifying the Cinnamon Teal is highly dependent on sex and season:

• Breeding Male: Unmistakable with a deep, rich cinnamon-red head, neck, breast, and flanks. The back is a darker brownish-black, and the tail is dark. They feature a bright red eye, a relatively large, long black bill, and yellow-orange legs.
• Female: Mottled brown overall with a slightly warmer, blockier appearance than other female teals. They have a long, slightly spatulate bill, a faint pale line through the eye, and a subtle white eye-ring.
• Eclipse Male: Resembles the female but retains the brilliant red eye and warm, reddish-brown tones across the breast and flanks.
• In Flight: Both sexes display a prominent sky-blue wing patch on the forewing coverts, bordered by a narrow white stripe and a glossy green speculum.

Similar Species: The female Cinnamon Teal is nearly identical to the female Blue-winged Teal. Key distinctions include the Cinnamon Teal's longer, wider, more spatulate bill, overall warmer cinnamon-brown coloration, and less defined facial markings (the Blue-winged female typically has a more distinct dark line through the eye and a more prominent white patch at the base of the bill).

Cinnamon Teals are highly dependent on shallow, highly productive wetlands. Typical habitats include:

• Breeding Grounds: Small shallow freshwater marshes, alkaline lakes, slow-moving streams, stock ponds, and reservoirs with abundant emergent vegetation like cattails and bulrushes.
• Wintering Grounds: Similar freshwater and brackish wetlands, coastal lagoons, and estuaries in the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America.

Geographic Range & Migration: In North America, they breed primarily west of the Great Plains, from southwestern Canada through the western US to northern Mexico. They are highly migratory, heading south to winter in the southwestern US, Mexico, and occasionally northern South America. Separate, non-migratory resident populations exist in South America, particularly in the Andean highlands and southern regions.

Like other dabbling ducks, the Cinnamon Teal feeds on or near the water's surface.

• Feeding: They feed by swimming with their bills submerged, filtering water for seeds and aquatic invertebrates, or by 'tipping up' to reach food on the bottom of shallow ponds. Their diet consists of seeds of rushes, grasses, pondweeds, as well as insects, snails, and small crustaceans.
• Nesting: Females select nesting sites in dense vegetation close to water, often under weeds or tall grasses that form a canopy. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground lined with grass and down feathers. Clutch sizes typically range from 8 to 11 creamy-white eggs.
• Vocalizations: Males are generally quiet but emit a low-pitched, dry, rattling 'krrk' or 'chack' sound during courtship. Females make a classic 'quack', which is high-pitched but softer and weaker than that of a Mallard.