Anas cyanoptera

Het mannetje is kaneelbruin en het vrouwtje bruin.

Gulf of Mexico, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone

There are five subspecies of the Cinnamon Teal, all native to the New World. The only subspecies native to North America is the Northern Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium). The Northern Cinnamon Teal breeds in western North America from British Columbia south to California and winters in the south-western States and Mexico. The remainder of the subspecies are native to South America. The Argentine Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera cyanoptera) breeds from southern Peru south into Argentina and the Falkland Islands. The largest subspecies, the Andean Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera orinomus), is located in the high elevation areas of Peru, Bolivia and Chile. The smallest subspecies is the Tropical Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera tropica) from the lowlands of Columbia. The rarest subspecies, the Borrero's Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera borreroi) is located only in the highlands of Columbia.(Wescott, 1998)

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Breeding

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) BREEDING: in North America from southern British Columbia, southern Alberta, southwestern Saskatchewan, eastern Montana, central North Dakota, southwestern South Dakota, western Nebraska, and central Kansas south to northern Baja California, Jalisco, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, and central Texas. NON-BREEDING: central California, southern Nevada, central Utah, southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and central Texas south regularly to southern Mexico, rarely or casually to Colombia, northern Venezuela, and northern Ecuador. In the U.S., the primary wintering areas are in Texas, and California (Root 1988). RESIDENT: in South America in Colombia (eastern Andes, and Cauca and Magdalena valleys), and from central Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and southern Brazil south to Straits of Magellan (but see GMIGRCOM). Casual in Hawaii, Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and in many areas of continental U.S. (AOU 1983).

The characteristics of the Cinnamon Teal vary depending on the age and sex of the bird. Although there are slight variations between different subspecies of A. cyanoptera, they tend to share common traits nonetheless. The color of the adult male's head, chest, and underside is generally purple-chestnut, and the abdomen is dark brown. The lower back and rear of the bird are greenish-brown, while the wing coverts are blue. There are variations in shoulder feather color between birds, ranging from yellow with a center stripe, to green with a center stripe.

The juvenile is similar in appearance to the adult female, having a green speculum with a white leading edge, and pale blue upper secondary coverts. The adult male's basic markings are similar to these, but he has red eyes and a brighter forewing. From the fall to the spring, the adult male has an alternate plumage. The head, neck, belly, and flanks are bright red, while the back is dark brown. Additionally, the male has black undertail coverts in the fall through spring time span. (Gammonley, 1996)

Range mass: 363 to 408 g.

Average mass: 340 g.

Average length: 41 cm.

Average wingspan: 19 cm.

Length: 41 cm

Weight: 408 grams

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater

The Cinnamon Teal prefers shallow ponds, marshes, and lakes with alkaline water, which are bordered by low herbaceous growth.

Also, the Cinnamon Teal tends to reside in basins that have extensively developed vegetation. Nesting is near water in perennial vegetation. The vegetation tends to be low and includes baltic rush, saltgrass, and spikerrush. Adults that have broods tend to reside in areas of seasonal and semipermanent wetlands that have plentiful emergent cover. (Gammonley, 1996)

Habitat Regions: terrestrial

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds

Wetlands: marsh

Other Habitat Features: riparian

Comments: Shallow lake margins, reed beds, ponds, lagoons, sluggish streams and marshes, primarily in freshwater but found in winter occasionally in marine situations (Tropical to Temperate zones) (AOU 1983). Builds nest on ground near edge of lake, pool, or swamp. Nest is usually well-concealed in vegetation.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Northern populations migratory; migrate northward in March- April, southward early in northern fall. Southernmost mainland populations in South America migrate northward for austral winter, as far as Pacific coast of Peru and central Brazil (Madge and Burn 1988).

Generally, Cinnamon Teal feed in the shallow waters of marshes and lakes. They also dive for food, or get it from the shoreline. Cinnamon Teal dive for vascular rooted plants, or they eat arthropods from the bottom-aquatic bed.

From terrestrial surfaces, Cinnamon Teal eat flowers and fruits of grass-like vegetation. On the surface of the water, they feed on floating vascular plants. From the bottom and water column, they feed on a number of species, including various invertebrates and arthropods. (Vanderah, 1985)

Foods commonly eaten include: seeds, submergent plants, emergent plants, insects and mollusks.

Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods; mollusks

Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts

Primary Diet: omnivore

Comments: Feeds on aquatic plants in shallow water areas; especially on rush seeds, pondweed seeds and leaves, and salt grass seeds. Also eats small amounts of animal food, especially insects and mollusks (Bellrose 1976; Gammonley, 1995, Wilson Bulletin 107:64-72).

The Cinnamon Teal is the victim of brood parasitism by other ducks (coots, mallards, redheads, and ruddy ducks), and it is also a brood parasite of other ducks itself.

Cinnamon teals disperse seeds while eating them. Because they eat aquatic vegetation they help to prevent overgrowth which hinders mobility of water animals. Finally, their predation on molluscs and insects helps to control those populations. Because Cinnamon Teal have many predators, they are important to the survival of many animals, including Coyotes and Coots. (Gammonley, 1996)

Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds

Species Used as Host:

• ducks (Anatidae)

The Cinnamon Teal hens are very protective of their nests; when a predator is nearby the female creates a disturbance to draw attention away from the nest. It is most common for the nesting females to be killed by predators. The males protect the nest sites from predators but they tend to circle the area rather than spending time directly protecting the nest as the females do. (Gammonley, 1996)

Known Predators:

• domestic cats (Felis silvestris)
• coyotes (Canis latrans)
• crows (Corvus)
• domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
• gulls (Laridae)
• magpies (Pica)
• American minks (Neovison vison)
• raccoons (Procyon lotor)
• common ravens (Corvus corax)
• skunks (Mephitinae)
• redheads (Aythya americana)
• ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis)

Anas cyanoptera is prey of:
Laridae
Pica
Corvus
Corvus corax
Mustela vison
Procyon lotor
Felis silvestris
Canis latrans
Mephitinae
Canis lupus familiaris

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Anas cyanoptera preys on:
non-insect arthropods
Mollusca
Arthropoda
Insecta

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Before breeding season usually seen in single pairs; in fall seen in small family groups.

The survival rates are not well known due to the fact that not many Cinnamon teal have been banded. The oldest Cinnamon Teal known in 1982 was 12 years 11 months of age. Although current survival rates are not well documented, an experiment from 1972 by Kozlik estimated that 29 percent of juveniles survived one year, and of these 46 percent survived to the second year. (Gammonley, 1996)

Range lifespan
Status: wild: 12 (high) years.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 155 months.

Maximum longevity: 12.9 years (wild)

Mating pair bonds are renewed each season, during the winter. Females attract the males by swimming in front of the desired mate. The reproductive behavior of males includes several behaviors intended to attract unpaired females, such as Preen-behind-wing, Preen-dorsally, Belly-preen, Preen-back-behind-wing, Repeated calls, Turning back of head, and Head-dip. If several males are competing for one female, drakes perfrom short flight displays. Actual copulation occurs on the water surface. The male and female both engage in head bobbing directed toward one another. Next, the female gets into a prone position and the male then gets behind the female and mounts while grasping the neck with his bill. After internal copulation, both the male and female bathe and preen. (Gammonley, 1996)

Mating System: monogamous

The Cinnamon Teal hen constructs a half-moon shaped nest out of plant stems and dead grass. Young birds are covered in down when they hatch, and leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching. Generally this is to travel with the hen to a nearby water source. The ducklings are able to feed themselves from the first day that they hatch. However, they remain under the care of the hen until fledging, which occurs after 7 weeks. As they get closer to fledging they range farther from the nest and the hen.

During the eighth week of development, the eyes of the drake become red. Sexual maturity is reached after one year, when a Cinnamon Teal is able to breed. (Vanderah, 1985)

Breeding season: Winter

Range eggs per season: 4 to 16.

Average eggs per season: 8.

Range time to hatching: 21 to 25 days.

Average fledging age: 49 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal )

Average eggs per season: 10.

Parental Investment: precocial ; female parental care

Female incubates 9-12, sometimes 6-14, eggs for 21-25 days. Nestlings are precocial and downy. Young are capable of flight in about 7 weeks (Terres 1980).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 7 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 7
Specimens with Barcodes: 8
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N4B - Apparently Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Least Concern

The Cinnamon Teal is generally not under great pressure from hunting, as it migrates early in the fall and as a result it is not heavily harvested in the U.S. and Canada. Still, it is one of the least abundant ducks in North America. They receive competition from the Blue-winged Teal, which has a larger population. This may contribute to the limiting of the Cinnamon Teal's expansion of a breeding range in North America. However, the Cinnamon Teal seems to be better suited for wetlands in the West and has the highest concentration in this area. (Gammonley, 1996)

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

There are no known negative effects upon humans.

The Cinnamon Teal is known to be an extremely tasty species of duck, and is hunted for recreation. (LaTourette, 1999)

Positive Impacts: food ; research and education