Teal duck

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Teal duck
Teal duck ♂ (spatula querquedula)

Teal duck ♂ ( spatula querquedula )

Systematics
Order : Goose birds (Anseriformes)
Family : Duck birds (Anatidae)
Subfamily : Anatinae
Tribe : Swimming ducks (anatini)
Genre : Shoveler ( spatula )
Type : Teal duck
Scientific name
Anas querquedula
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Males in the wintering area in India

The teal duck ( Spatula querquedula , Syn . : Anas querquedula ) is a small species of duck that breeds in Central Europe, among other places. It is only slightly larger than the common teal in Central Europe , but overall somewhat slimmer and more delicate in shape. The striking distinguishing feature of the drake in its splendid dress is the wide, arched stripe above the eye, which extends into the neck and which clearly stands out from the reddish-brown head and the dark neck. In flight, the teal can be identified by its light blue-gray forewing.

The teal duck is the only species of duck in the Old World that leaves the geographic region in the winter. Depending on the area of ​​distribution, it moves to the south of India and Southeast Asia and then regularly reaches the Australian continent. In Africa, it crosses the Sahara to winter in the waters of the Sahel. In Central Europe the teal duck is a rare, locally concentrated breeding and summer bird. In most Central European regions, however, it can also be observed on its way to the wintering quarters, and there are also isolated attempts to overwinter in Central Europe.

features

Appearance of fully grown teal ducks

The teal reaches a body length of 37 to 41 centimeters, a wing length of 18.7 to 21.1 cm (males) and 18.2 to 19.6 cm (females) and a weight of up to 550 grams (females) to 600 Gram (male).

In the plain dress, the teal can easily be confused with other species of the genus , especially with the teal , as they are very similar in size. The females can be distinguished from female ducks of other species by the stripes of the head: on top of the head you can see a dark brown cap, a dark stripe runs over the eye and the cheek is also a little darker than the rest of the head. In their body plumage, brown feathers dominate, which have a broad pale yellow border. This gives their body plumage a mottled appearance.

The magnificent dress of the males, however, is very characteristic. A white, conspicuous and sickle-shaped stripe leads in an arc from the eye to the neck. The rest of the head is reddish brown. The back and chest have a gray base color and are full of brown speckles. The white flanks are covered with thin gray stripes. Long, lanceolate shoulder feathers, which are colored black and white, fall over the back. In flight you can see the blue-gray inner wing and the green mirror in both sexes. The beak of the teal duck, which is 3.5 to 4.5 centimeters long, is relatively large and resembles that of the shoveler . The feet are colored dark gray.

Appearance of the downy chicks and fledglings

The downy chicks of the teal are very similar to those of the teal. Their brown body parts are, however, overall darker than in this species. The headstock, the back neck, the top of the body and the sides of the body are dark brown. Yellow areas of color can be found on the wings and the flanks. The underside of the body is gray-yellow. The chest, throat, chin, cheeks and side of the head are light yellow. A narrow line of paint runs from the base of the upper beak over the eye to the cheek. A second runs parallel to it, starting at the base of the lower mandible. It is occasionally a little wider and less clearly delimited. Since the two lines of color usually converge in front of the eye, they enclose a yellow or red-brown field at the base of the beak. The iris is brown.

In newly hatched downy chicks, the upper bill is olive-gray and brownish along the edges of the beak. The nail is reddish brown. The lower beak, on the other hand, is flesh or brownish cream in color. The legs, feet and webbed feet are dark olive gray. As it grows, the beak turns blue-gray.

voice

The males give off a characteristic, rasping and almost voiceless klerrb . It is particularly common during courtship and in flight. There are similar vocalizations from the dwarf singer and the golden-bellied duck . Furthermore, both sexes call nasal hunt-hunt when alarmed. Females call altogether very rare, they can be when flying up but a syllable ga or ek .. hear.

distribution

female

The teal duck is quite common in the Palearctic . It populates almost all of Eastern Europe , sporadically also Western and Central Europe . In the European range, the northern limit of the breeding occurrence is 64 ° N; in the Asian breeding area it does not occur above 62 ° N. Its northern limit of distribution thus corresponds to the 16 degree July isotherm. The southern border of its Asian distribution area is poorly known. It is believed that the southern border runs between 44 ° and 46 ° N.

As a rule, the tart is only migrant in Germany. Their few German breeding areas are limited to the lowlands and individual breeding sites are only irregularly occupied. In the Red List of Germany's breeding birds from 2015, the species is listed in Category 2 as critically endangered. Since they return already paired from their African winter quarters, one can also observe the so-called row flights in Central Europe , in which several drakes fly after a female with loud calls. During the breeding season, on the other hand, tealents are very shy and rarely seen. In contrast, it breeds relatively often in the Netherlands. The breeding population here is up to 5,000 pairs. In Scandinavia it can be found around the Baltic Sea . To the east, its range extends in a wide strip to Sakhalin .

The teal hibernates in Africa , North India and Southeast Asia . The migration to the wintering areas begins at the end of July and is completed at the end of September. It is particularly numerous in West Africa in the winter months. In the Senegal Delta there are occasionally over 200,000 tartents and in the Niger Delta around 100,000 birds overwinter. The Hadejia-Nguru wetlands in northern Nigeria and the wetlands of Lake Chad are also significant wintering areas . The populations that hibernate up to 80 degrees east of latitude behind the Urals also belong to the wintering turtles. These ducks first migrate to the southwest of Italy and France and from there migrate across the Mediterranean and further down into the Sahara. This is taken as an indication that after the last Ice Age tealents settled in this region from Europe, because the populations that occur further east overwinter in southern Asia. In Australia, the tart duck is a wanderer who is observed in small numbers every year. Observations are available from all over the Australian continent.

The teal ducks that breed in Central Europe first migrate along the coast towards Morocco or migrate over the Atlas Mountains to Senegal. During the retreat there were large concentrations of taints in Tunisia, Italy and the Balkans. The teal duck is obviously a loop puller in Europe . In autumn a stronger migration can be observed over France and Spain, while in spring it returns in greater numbers over the central Mediterranean. Finds of ringed birds show a migration path that is sometimes far apart in different migration periods.

habitat

Teal ducks breed in nutrient-rich ponds and moors with a pronounced underwater vegetation. It also occurs in drainage ditches rich in vegetation or on meadows that are shallow and flooded. In the coastal area of ​​eastern Germany, it occasionally breeds on meadows and wet areas if the grass stock is sufficiently high there. They often use similar habitats as the shoveler . In winter they stay at lakes and flooded river areas.

food

The diet of the teal consists of insects , crustaceans , mollusks , seeds and aquatic plants. However, they prefer animal food. This is either absorbed directly from the surface or from just below, as the animals rarely roam. They get their food by swimming around with their necks stretched out, like the shovelers, and partially sticking their heads into the water.

Reproduction

Teal duck eggs

While tealets are very sociable birds in their wintering areas, they are extremely territorial in their breeding grounds and occupy a large area on their own. This is defended with vehemence against conspecifics. The courtship repertoire includes ritualized cleaning and drinking movements. A backward movement of the head is one of the courtship gestures in the male. The vertex touches the back and the beak points to the sky. This is a relatively unusual courtship gesture among actual ducks . In contrast, it occurs frequently in diving ducks .

The beginning of the breeding season depends on the distribution area. In the southern regions of the distribution area this begins in mid-April. In the northern regions, however, only towards the end of May. Teal ducks only raise one brood per year. Teal ducks prefer a densely vegetated bank of shallow water as a breeding site.

The teal duck's nest consists of a hollow that is padded with grass and down . It is laid out in dense vegetation near the water. The female lays eight to eleven beige eggs, which the female incubates for 21 to 23 days. The young are fledged after 35 to 42 days. They are among those who flee from the nest .

supporting documents

literature

  • Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel and Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The compendium of birds in Central Europe: Everything about biology, endangerment and protection. Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds. Aula-Verlag Wiebelsheim, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2 .
  • John Gooders and Trevor Boyer: Ducks of Britain and the Northern Hemisphere. Dragon's World Ltd, Surrey 1986, ISBN 1-85028-022-3 .
  • PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds. Volume 1: Ratites to Ducks. , Oxford University Press, Oxford 1990, ISBN 0-19-553068-3 .
  • Erich Rutschke: Europe's wild ducks - biology, ecology, behavior. Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden 1988, ISBN 3-89104-449-6 .

Web links

Commons : Teal Duck ( Anas querquedula )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Gooders and Boyer, p. 62
  2. ↑ Bauer et al., P. 100
  3. ↑ a b Collin Harrison and Peter Castell: Field Guide Bird Nests, Eggs and Nestlings. HarperCollins Publisher, 2002 revised edition, ISBN 0-00-713039-2 , p. 73.
  4. ^ Hans-Heiner Bergmann, Hans-Wolfgang Helb, Sabine Baumann: The voices of the birds of Europe - 474 bird portraits with 914 calls and chants on 2,200 sonograms. Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2008, ISBN 978-3-89104-710-1 , p. 60.
  5. ↑ Rutschke, p. 212
  6. ↑ Christoph Grüneberg, Hans-Günther Bauer, Heiko Haupt, Ommo Hüppop, Torsten Ryslavy, Peter Südbeck: Red List of Germany's Breeding Birds , 5 version . In: German Council for Bird Protection (Hrsg.): Reports on bird protection . tape 52 , November 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ Birdlife International: NG021 Hadejia-Nguru wetlands (English)
  8. ↑ Gooders and Boyer, p. 64
  9. ^ Higgins, p. 1335
  10. ^ Higgins, p. 1337
  11. ↑ Bauer et al., P. 100
  12. ↑ Rutschke, p. 237
  13. ↑ Gooders and Boyers, p. 65