Eurasian Teal

The Eurasian Teal is a very small dabbling duck with narrow wings and quick, agile flight. Breeding males have a chestnut head crossed by a broad green eye patch, a finely patterned grey body and a cream stripe beside the tail. Females are mottled brown but show a glossy green wing speculum. Outside breeding plumage, males resemble females but retain a darker bill (Wikipedia, general species account).

Eurasian Teal favour shallow marshes, ponds, lake margins and sheltered estuaries. They feed mainly at the surface, dabbling for seeds and aquatic invertebrates, often becoming most active around dusk or at night. Dense waterside vegetation shelters the ground nest. Many populations migrate long distances between northern breeding areas and milder winter wetlands, when large, tightly packed flocks can form (Wikipedia, general species account).