Chestnut teal
{{Short description|Species of duck}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Chestnut teal
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| image = Male chestnut teal.jpg
| image_caption = Male
| image2 = Female Chestnut Teal duck.jpg
| image2_caption = Female
| genus = Anas
| species = castanea
| authority = (Eyton, 1838)
}}
The chestnut teal (Anas castanea) is a dabbling duck found in Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.{{clarify|date=December 2019}}
Taxonomy
The chestnut teal was described by the English naturalist Thomas Campbell Eyton in 1838 under the binomial name Mareca castanea.{{ cite book | last=Eyton | first=Thomas Campbell | author-link=Thomas Campbell Eyton | title=A Monograph on the Anatidae, or Duck Tribe | date=1838 | place=London | publisher=Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman | page=119 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33545598 }} The specific epithet castanea is from the Latin {{Lang|la|castaneus}} for "chestnut-coloured" or "chestnut-brown".{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn= 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=93 | url=https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n93/mode/1up }}
A large molecular phylogentic study that compared mitochondrial DNA sequences from ducks, geese and swans in the family Anatidae found that the chestnut teal is a sister species to the Sunda teal (Anas gibberifrons) that is endemic to Indonesia.{{ cite journal | last1=Gonzalez | first1=J. | last2=Düttmann | first2=H. | last3=Wink | first3=M. | year=2009 | title=Phylogenetic relationships based on two mitochondrial genes and hybridization patterns in Anatidae | journal=Journal of Zoology | volume=279 | issue=3 | pages=310–318 | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00622.x }}
Description
The chestnut teal is darker and a slightly bigger bird than the grey teal.{{cite web |url=http://www.gma.vic.gov.au/education/better-hunting/know-your-waterfowl/game-duck-videos/chestnut-teal |title=Chestnut Teal |publisher=Victoria State Government: Game Management Authority |access-date=9 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810051144/http://www.gma.vic.gov.au/education/better-hunting/know-your-waterfowl/game-duck-videos/chestnut-teal |archive-date=10 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}
The male has a distinctive green coloured head and mottled brown body. The female has a brown head and mottled brown body. The female is almost identical in appearance to the grey teal.
The female chestnut teal has a loud penetrating "laughing" quack repeated rapidly nine times or more.
Distribution and habitat
File:Chestnut Teal and ducklings.jpg
The chestnut teal is commonly distributed in south-eastern and south-western Australia, while vagrants may occur elsewhere. Tasmania and southern Victoria are the species' stronghold, while vagrants have been found as far north as New Guinea and Lord Howe Island, and as far south as New Zealand.{{cite web |url=http://birdsinbackyards.net/species/Anas-castanea |title=Chestnut Teal |work=Birds in Backyards |access-date=27 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908044915/http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Anas-castanea |archive-date=8 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}
The chestnut teal prefers coastal estuaries and wetlands, and is indifferent to salinity. This bird is an omnivore.
Breeding
Chestnut teals form monogamous pairs that stay together outside the breeding season, defend the nest site and look after the young when hatched. Nests are usually located over water, in a down-lined tree hollow about {{Convert|6-10|m|abbr=on}} high. Sometimes nests are placed on the ground, among clumps of grass near water. The young hatch and are ready to swim and walk within a day.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons-inline|2=Anas castanea}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline|Anas castanea|Anas castanea}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q589750}}