@birdsofsound: 🦆 Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca) 📌 Overview & Identification Common Names: Eurasian Teal, Common Teal, Green-Winged Teal.  Size: It is one of the smallest species of dabbling ducks.  Length: 30–38 cm (12–15 in).  Wingspan: 53–64 cm.  Weight: 240–360 g.  Male Appearance: Breeding males feature a chestnut-red head with a broad, iridescent green eye patch edged in yellow, grey sides, a white horizontal wing stripe, and a yellowish tail patch.  Female Appearance: Females are mottled brown for camouflage with a cream/buff underside, resembling a small female Mallard.  Distinct Feature: Both sexes possess a striking metallic green patch on their secondary wing feathers (known as the speculum), which is brightly visible during flight.  🌐 Habitat & Distribution Geographic Range: Native to northern and temperate Eurasia. They migrate south in large numbers during winter to southern Europe, Asia, and North Africa.  Preferred Habitats: Breeding Season: Shallow, sheltered freshwater wetlands, taiga bogs, ponds, and marshlands with dense vegetation.  Wintering Season: Lowland wetlands, flooded fields, estuaries, saltmarshes, and sheltered coastal lagoons.  🌾 Diet & Behavior Diet: Omnivorous dabbler.  Spring/Summer: Feeds heavily on aquatic invertebrates, larvae, insects, mollusks, and small crustaceans.  Winter: Primary diet shifts to aquatic plant seeds, sedges, and agricultural grains.  Foraging Style: Feeds by dabbling, skimming water surfaces, grazing, or tipping upside down in shallow water rather than deep diving. Social Nature: Highly gregarious, often gathering in large, tight flocks outside the breeding season that perform quick, synchronized aerial maneuvers.  🐣 Breeding & Life Cycle Nesting: Nests are built on the ground, carefully concealed in dense grass or reed beds near water bodies. Clutch Size: Females lay about 5 to 16 eggs, which hatch after an incubation period of roughly 21 to 23 days.  Lifespan: Can live up to 10–15 years in the wild. 🛡️ Conservation Status IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC).  Global Population: Estimated between 6.6 and 7.7 million individuals.  Threats: Wetland drainage, water pollution, land development, and hunting in wintering areas.

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Thursday 22 October 2026 12:23:00 GMT