Common Teal Identification
Its scientific name is 'Anas crecca', from the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes)
What I look like
The Common Teal is the smallest duck in Europe.
It has a short neck, bill, and tail.
From afar in flight, it appears dark with a white band in the middle of the wing.
A bright green speculum is visible up close.
The male in breeding plumage has a reddish-brown head with green sides bordered by yellow. Its bill is gray.
It is also recognized by the yellow underside of the tail with a black border, visible even from a distance.
The female has a brown mottled plumage, with a scaly appearance. Her bill sometimes has an orange base.
On the water, the female resembles the female Common Teal. But the latter has a longer bill with a light patch near the base and a more pronounced eyebrow.
The male in breeding plumage of the Common Teal cannot be confused, as it has a dark head with a white crescent above the eye that extends into the nape.
In the Common Teal, the male in eclipse plumage and the juvenile resemble the female.
My songs, my calls
The Common Teal is noisy. Especially during pair formation.
The male emits a clear whistling "pup". This call is fluted and repeated.
The female makes hoarse, raspy calls, initially high-pitched then lower. She quacks with 4 to 7 nasal syllables decreasing in volume "hein hein hein hein…". In the background, you can hear the males' whistles.
How I behave
The Common Teal is often in groups (except during nesting). It is often with mallards.
Its flight is fast and agile with pointed and narrow wings.
Tight formations can be seen in flight.
Timid, it takes flight at the slightest alert.
It can easily take off from the water's surface, almost vertically.
How I reproduce
In the Common Teal, pairs form in autumn and end in winter when they have their breeding plumage.
The pairing locations can be identified by the males' fluted calls.
During pairing (pair formation), several males try to court a female by displaying their colors and often flying.
Once a pair is formed, they stay together for at least seven months.
The Common Teal makes its nest near a wooded area. It is a ground depression in dense vegetation, not too far from water.
What I eat
The Common Teal feeds on various invertebrates during the warm season (mollusks, insects, worms, crustaceans).
In winter, it turns more to seeds and aquatic plants which it filters with its bill in the mud.
Where to find me
The Common Teal is common in Europe.
It is found on ponds, pools, streams, and vegetated coasts.
It is migratory. Most spend the winter in Western Europe and migrate to the east and north in summer.
Some species are sedentary in Western Europe.
The Common Teal only comes to Europe from April to September. It spends the winter in Africa and migrates less far north in summer.
The Common Teal can live for about sixteen years.