Ringed Teal

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?Ringed Teal
Conservation status: Least concern

A pair, drake in front

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Genus:	Callonetta Delacour, 1936
Species:	C. leucophrys

Binomial name

Callonetta leucophrys
(Vieillot, 1816)

The Ringed Teal (Callonetta leucophrys) is a small duck of South American forests. It is the only species of the genus Callonetta. Usually placed with the dabbling ducks (Anatinae), this species may actually be closer to shelducks and belong into the subfamily Tadorninae; its closest relative is possibly the Maned Duck (Johnson & Sorenson, 1999).

Their habitats include tropical, swampy forests and marshy clearings in well-wooded lowlands, as well as secluded pools and small streams.

The Ringed Teal breeds in north-west Argentina and Paraguay, also occurring in Bolivia, Brazil and Uruguay.

The male and female remain colourful throughout the year, lacking an eclipse plumage. The drake has a rich chestnut back, pale grey flanks and a salmon coloured breast speckled in black. A black band runs from the top of its head down to the nape. Females have an olive-brownish back with the head blotched and striated in white, with pencilled barring on a pale chest and belly. Both have a dark tail, a contrasting pale rump, and a distinctive white patch on the wing. Bills are grey and legs and feet are pink in both sexes. Pairs easily bond. Their contact calls are a cat like mee-oowing in ducks, a lingering peewoo in drakes.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Callonetta leucophrys. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

Johnson, Kevin P. & Sorenson, Michael D. (1999): Phylogeny and biogeography of dabbling ducks (genus Anas): a comparison of molecular and morphological evidence. Auk 116(3): 792–805. PDF fulltext