Red-billed Teal

Anas erythrorhyncha

Wetlands. Red bill; dark brown hood and upperparts; all feathers edged creamy; neck dusky; underparts white; all feathers with dark centres.

Ducks, Geese

Not Endemic

Description

Very common resident. Larger than [Blue-billed Teal], differing in pinkish-red bill and completely spotted body. In flight shows a creamy speculum. The few sounds made by this species are soft, audible only at close range, but female may utter a louder series of quacks that decrease in volume. Frequently in large flocks on lakes, floodplains, dams and sewage ponds. Smaller numbers during the rainy season, when there are widespread long-distance dispersals.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Most of the region's ducks are either migratory to some extent or locally nomadic, their movements being dictated by food, rainfall and breeding requirements. Many show marked plumage differences between the sexes. Ducks and geese undergo a flightless four-to-eight-week period each year when they moult all their flight feathers simultaneously. The large Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese differ from geese of the northern hemisphere in having longer bills and legs, the African Pygmy-Goose being our only representative of the ‘true' geese. Ducks of the genus *Dendrocygna* (whistling ducks), which include the White-faced and Fulvous whistling ducks, differ from those of other genera in having close-set legs placed well back on the body. This enables them to stand erect and walk without waddling. In addition they show no sexual dimorphism and have whistling voices. In contrast, ducks of the genus *Anas*, often referred to as dabbling ducks, have widely spaced legs placed centrally on the body. This causes them to stand with the body horizontally and to walk with a waddle. They are further typified by quacking voices.