Scientific name: Callonetta leucophrys
Family: Anatidae
Order: Anseriformes
Class: Aves
Range: South America
Habitat: Wetland
Lifespan: Unknown in the wild; Up to 15 years in captivity

What do they look like?
Ringed teals are one of the smallest duck species at around 15 inches long. Males and females are sexually dimorphic (they have different coloring based on gender). Drakes (males) have a salmon-colored breast, a chestnut back, and pale gray flanks, with a black band along the back
of the head down to the nape of the neck. Hens (females) have an olive or brown colored back, a striped brown and white head, and a pale chest and belly. Both have an iridescent dark green wing patch and pink webbed feet.

How do they behave?
Ringed teals are classified as dabblers (feeding primarily on the surface of the water) unlike the diving (feeding primarily below the surface of the water) ducks. Dabblers like these often upend themselves with their tail in the air to graze on submerged pondweed. Lamellae (ridges) at the edges of the beak act like teeth to help cut through tough vegetation. These
small ducks are agile flyers, and often perch and nest well off the ground to avoid predators. Their webbed feet have long toes and sharp claws to help them perch. In this species, only the hen quacks; the drake produces a long soft whistle instead.

What’s on the menu?
These ducks eat water plants, aquatic invertebrates, seeds and shoots. At the Zoo they eat specialized bird food, green vegetables, and mealworms.

How are they born?
Ringed teals are monogamous. The drake courts the hen with a wing flapping display, flashing the iridescent green patches to attract her. They nest in a hollow tree, sometimes quite high off the ground. The hen lays 6-12 white eggs, which she and the drake incubate for around 29 days. The precocial (born with eyes open needing little care from their parents) chicks follow their parents from the nest within a few hours of hatching, sometimes leaping many feet down from the nest. The chicks rub against their parents’ plumage to acquire the waterproofing oil to cover their feathers to keep them dry in the water. Ringed teal ducklings up to four weeks of age may feign death when handled by humans or approached by predators. They follow their parents closely, copy their behaviors, and eventually fledge (learning to fly) at around 50 days. Drakes of this species exhibit more parental care than most other duck species. They have been observed incubating the eggs, performing distraction displays to deter predators, retrieving lost or lagging ducklings as the hen leads the brood, etc. This care allows the pair to produce more than one brood during nesting season; the male takes over care of the older ducklings while the female incubates a second clutch of eggs.

Conservation Connection
The ringed teal’s conservation status is currently listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These small ducks are an important part of their wetland habitats, helping to keep the ecosystem healthy. Wetland ecosystems are very sensitive to both pollution and water loss. If you would like to help our wetlands here in
California, you can start by practicing water conservation. Water conservation can involve something as simple as taking shorter showers, or turning off the water when you brush your teeth. For more information on how you can help preserve wetlands right here in California check out http://www.waterboards.ca.gov.