Brazilian teal

The Brazilian teal or Brazilian duck (Amazonetta brasiliensis) is the only duck in the genus Amazonetta.

Brazilian teal

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Anatinae
Genus: Amazonetta
von Boetticher, 1929
Species:
A. brasiliensis
Binomial name
Amazonetta brasiliensis
(Gmelin, 1789)
Subspecies
  • A. b. brasiliensis (Gmelin, 1789)
    lesser Brazilian teal
  • A. b. ipecutiri (Vieillot, 1816)
    greater Brazilian teal
Amazonetta brasiliensis - MHNT

Taxonomy and systematics

It was formerly considered a perching duck, but more recent analyses indicate that it belongs to a clade of South American dabbling ducks which also includes the crested duck, the bronze-winged duck, and possibly the steamer ducks.[2] There are two subspecies:

Description

The ducks are light brown in colour. Drakes distinguish themselves from females in having red beaks and legs, and in having a distinctive pale grey area on the side of its head and neck. The colour of these limbs is much duller in females.

Habitat and distribution

They can be found throughout eastern South America, from Uruguay, to northern and eastern Argentina, Paraguay, central Venezuela, Brazil, northeastern Peru, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, eastern Bolivia, and eastern Colombia.[1][3] Their preferred habitat is a body of freshwater away from the coast with dense vegetation nearby.

Behaviour

Brazilian teal live in pairs or in small groups of up to twenty birds. Both parents look after their hatchlings. They eat seeds, fruits, roots and insect, while ducklings eat only insects.

Status

They are plentiful and are listed as of Least Concern.[1]

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References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Amazonetta brasiliensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Johnson, Kevin P. & Sorenson, Michael D. (1999). "Phylogeny and biogeography of dabbling ducks (genus Anas): a comparison of molecular and morphological evidence" (PDF). Auk. 116 (3): 792–805. doi:10.2307/4089339.
  3. Clements, James, (2007) The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World, Cornell University Press, Ithaca.

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