Cinnamon Teal

The Cinnamon Teal is a dabbling duck native to the Americas, with its primary breeding grounds located in western North America. They favor shallow wetlands, freshwater marshes, and alkaline lakes. During the winter, these ducks migrate south to parts of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Adult male Cinnamon Teals are notably distinguishable by their striking, uniform cinnamon-red plumage that covers their heads, chests, and sides. They also feature bright red eyes and a relatively large, black spatula-shaped bill. In flight, you can observe pale blue patches on the front edge of their wings, known as speculum feathers.

As dabbling ducks, Cinnamon Teals primarily feed by tipping forward in shallow water to forage on submerged aquatic plants and seeds. Their diet also includes various aquatic insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. They are known to filter mud and water through the lamellae on the edges of their bills to extract tiny food items.

Yes, Cinnamon Teals and Blue-winged Teals are known to interbreed, as they are very closely related genetically. Because their habitats sometimes overlap, particularly in regions like the western United States, hybrid offspring are occasionally documented by birders. Hybrids may display a mix of physical characteristics, such as the blue wing patch of a Blue-winged Teal paired with reddish body plumage.