Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera)

Identification & Behavior: ~43 cm (17 in).  The male Cinnamon Teal in breeding plumage is mostly cinnamon-red with bright red iris. The non-breeding male is reddish with black mottles. The adult female is brown with black mottles and scales. The bill in both sexes is broad. The female is distinguished from the similar female Blue-winged Teal by richer brown plumage, lack of a pale base of the bill, and by a broad bill, which is diagnostic.

Status: The Cinnamon Teal is common in the coastal wetlands. It is also found in the high Andes in the Puno and Cusco regions at elevations ranging from 3200 to 4200 m.

Name in Spanish: Pato Colorado.

Sub-species: Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera) Vieillot, 1816.
A. c. orinoma: Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia to n Chile. A. c. cyanoptera: Coastal Peru and S Brazil to Tierra del Fuego.

Meaning of Name: spatula: L. Spoon, in reference to the shape of its bill. cyanoptera: Gr. kuanos= dark blue and pteros= wing. A duck with blue wings.

Formerly known as Anas cyanoptera (2017).

See more of the Family Anatidae