Chestnut Teal

Images ©:
©Bob Winters

Anas castanea

Small duck, up to 50 cm. Average weight 650 g. High forehead and rounded head. Males are distinctive. They have a glossy green head, chestnut brown neck. Breast and flanks, upper body and wings are dark brown. Undertail is black with contrasting white. Females are mottled, dark brown and grey. Pale throat streaked brown and a dark eye stripe. In both sexes the eye is deep red, the bill is blue-grey, the legs and feet are green-grey. Wings have a dark glossy green to purple panel edged with white. The underwing is brown with white wing pits.

Details
Type
Bird
Group
Animals
Duck
Other Common Names
Black Teal, Brown Teal
Biology

Breeding season: July to December. Clutch size is 12. They form monogamous pairs and stay together outside the breeding season. Both parents choose and defend a nest site. The male stays with the female while she incubates the eggs. The nest is usually located over water in a down-lined tree hollow about 6-10 m high. Sometimes nests are placed on the ground, among clumps of grass near water, lined with down. Males do not assist with incubation but do look after the young when hatched. Once hatched, the young are ready to swim. Both parents protect their brood.
Distinctive Markings

Slightly bigger and darker than the Grey Teal. Males look very diiferent to the Grey Teal. They have a distinctive green head and chestnut body plumage.
Taxonomy
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Genus
Anas
Species
castanea

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

The Chestnut Teal is sexually dimorphic. This means that males and females have quite different plumages.

Interesting Facts
Diet

Omnivore. Feeds on seeds, insects and some vegetation.
Habitat

Found in wetlands and estuaries in coastal regions. They need hollow trees in water or short grasslands near water for nesting.
Native Status
Native to Australia
Audio
Sounds
Sharp whistles and grunts (males) and chuckling quacks (females). Very similar to Grey Teal but male calls are deeper.