Cinnamon Teal

Fascinating facts about the Cinnamon Teal

• Two subspecies of cinnamon teal live worlds apart in the Andes: the smaller S. c. cyanoptera stays below 1,000 m, spreading along the Peruvian coast and southern Argentina, while the larger S. c. orinoma thrives at 3,500-4,600 m on the high Altiplano of Peru, Chile and Bolivia.
• In an Arizona breeding pond, cinnamon teals gobble mostly seeds, especially those of Carex grasses, plus aquatic fly larvae and snails, showing a diet that blends plant matter with protein-rich invertebrates. Though plants dominate, they also snatch molluscs and insects when available, and can feed in tight, coordinated groups like northern shovelers, sweeping the water's surface together.
• Cinnamon teals are true migrants, spending winters far south in northern South America and the Caribbean, yet some populations linger in California and southwestern Arizona instead of traveling as far as their blue-winged cousins. They are rare visitors to the eastern United States, with a lone young male once becoming a tourist draw in Grimsby, Ontario. Their seasonal moves spread the species across continents.
• At just 16 in (41 cm) long with a 22-inch (560 mm) wingspan, the cinnamon teal tips the scales at 14 oz (400 g). It sheds its feathers twice a year as an adult and adds a third molt in its first year.
• A single cinnamon teal clutch can hold anywhere from 4 to 16 creamy-white eggs, each measuring 4.4-5 cm (1.7-2 in) long and 3.33-3.5 cm (1.3-1.4 in) wide.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Cinnamon Teal

As the warm sunlight dances across the shallow wetlands, the Cinnamon Teal emerges, its rich, reddish-brown plumage glistening like polished copper. With feathers rustling softly, it glides effortlessly across the water's surface, its webbed feet paddling in a slow, rhythmic beat, as if savoring the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore. In this serene and idyllic world, the Cinnamon Teal reigns, a vision of understated elegance, its quiet beauty a testament to the enduring charm of these unassuming, yet captivating, creatures.

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