Cinnamon Teal

The cinnamon teal is a colorful duck that is found in the western portions of North and South America. It is the only duck that has separate breeding populations on each of the continents. In North America they breed in the western United States and Mexico. Their breeding does not extend as far east as most other species of western ducks, ending before the center of the US. In South America they breed primarily in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Most of the birds that breed in the US migrate to Mexico or the California coast for the winter. Most the birds that breed in Mexico and South America are year round residents of theri breeding ground. 

As with many species of ducks the male cinnamon teal is much more colorful then the female. The ducks in the photos above are both male. The female is a mottled brown with a brown eye color. The female looks similar to the females of many other species of ducks. The reason that females are not as bright as the males is because they need to blend in while they are on the nest. The cinnamon teal nest on the ground near the water. The nest is covered from all sides by vegetation hiding it from predators on the ground and in the air. The female helps keep the nest hidden by accessing it through tunnels in the vegetation. Clutch size is about 4-15 eggs. The young leave the nest for the water with in days of hatching.