Teal

Teal

Anas crecca
Teal, Edmund Fellowes

Introduction

The Teal is our smallest duck and its bright green wing flash can be seen in marshlands across the UK.

This is an uncommon breeding bird in the UK, with an estimated population of just 4,000 pairs but this population is dwarfed by the winter arrival of around half a million birds from the Continent. At this time the male Teal is at his most resplendent, with a gilt-edged, chestnut and green head and a butter-yellow triangle beneath the tail. The scalloped, brown female shares the bright green wing flash of the male.

Wetland Bird Survey results show an upward trend for Teal across the UK and, unsurprisingly, that numbers peak between October and February. Since the 1968–72 breeding atlas, however, there has been a 14% decrease in the size of the breeding range in Britain.

Teal, Edmund Fellowes

Key Stats

Status
Common
Common
Eggs
Eggs
8-11
BTO Records
BTO Records
1.2m records
Population and distribution stats for:
Population Change
Population Change
11% increase 1996/97–2021/22
Distribution Change
Distribution_change
12.9% expansion

Identification

Curated resources to aid in the identification of Teal

ID Videos

This section features BTO training videos headlining this species, or featuring it as a potential confusion species.

Female dabbling ducks

Garganey & Teal

Songs and Calls

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Teal, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

Call:

Alarm call:

Movement

Information about Teal movements and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

Britain & Ireland movement

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

Dots show the foreign destinations of birds ringed in Britain & Ireland, and the origins of birds ringed overseas that were subsequently recaptured, resighted or found dead in Britain & Ireland. Dot colours indicate the time of year that the species was present at the location.

  • Winter (Nov-Feb)
  • Spring (Mar-Apr)
  • Summer (May-Jul)
  • Autumn (Aug-Oct)
Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

European movements

EuroBirdPortal uses birdwatcher's records, such as those logged in BirdTrack to map the flows of birds as they arrive and depart Europe. See maps for this species here.

The Eurasian-African Migration Atlas shows movements of individual birds ringed or recovered in Europe. See maps for this species here.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information for Teal, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

Productivity and Nesting

Nesting timing

Typical (exceptional) number of broods
1

Egg measurements

Typical length x width
45x33 mm
Mass (% shell)
26.5g (7%)

Clutch Size

Typical number
11-8 eggs
Observed minimum and maximum
7-15 eggs

Incubation

Incubation by
Female
Typical duration
23-21 days

Fledging

Type of chick
Precocial, downy
Typical duration
30-25 days

Survival and Longevity

Survival is shown as the proportion of birds surviving from one year to the next and is derived from bird ringing data. It can also be used to estimate how long birds typically live.

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report.

lifespan

Typical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age
3 years with breeding typically at 1 year
Maximum age from a ringed bird
18 years, 20 days (set in 1988)

Survival of adults

All adults
0.53
Females
0.51±0.057
Males
0.55±0.022

Biometrics

Wing length and body weights are from live birds (source).

Wing length

Average ±1 std deviation; range and sample size in brackets.
Juvenile
186.4±5.7 mm
(177-195 mm, N=7902)
All adults
187.2±7.5 mm
(177-196 mm, N=5504)
Female
182.2±4.5 mm
(175-190 mm, N=2170)
Male
190.5±7.2 mm
(183-197 mm, N=3314)

Body weight

Average ±1 std deviation; range and sample size in brackets.
Juvenile
186.4±5.7 mm
(177-195 mm, N=7902)
All adults
187.2±7.5 mm
(177-196 mm, N=5504)
Female
182.2±4.5 mm
(175-190 mm, N=2170)
Male
190.5±7.2 mm
(183-197 mm, N=3314)

Ring Size

E*

Classification, names and codes

Taxonomy, names and species codes for Teal

Classification and Codes

  • Order: Anseriformes
  • Family: Anatidae
  • Scientific name: Anas crecca
  • Authority: Linnaeus, 1758
  • BTO 2-letter code: T.
  • BTO 5-letter code: TEAL.
  • Euring code number: 1840

Alternate species names

  • Catalan: xarxet comú
  • Czech: círka obecná
  • Danish: Krikand
  • Dutch: Wintertaling
  • Estonian: piilpart
  • Finnish: tavi
  • French: Sarcelle d’hiver
  • Gaelic: Lach-bheag
  • German: Krickente
  • Hungarian: csörgo réce
  • Icelandic: Urtönd
  • Irish: Praslacha
  • Italian: Alzavola
  • Latvian: kriklis
  • Lithuanian: rudagalve krykle
  • Norwegian: Krikkand
  • Polish: cyraneczka (zwyczajna)
  • Portuguese: marrequinha
  • Slovak: kacica chrapka
  • Slovenian: kreheljc
  • Spanish: Cerceta común
  • Swedish: kricka
  • Welsh: Corhwyaden

Research

Interpretation and scientific publications about Teal from BTO scientists.

Causes of Change and Solutions

Causes of change

The trend for the breeding population is uncertain and hence the drivers of change are also unclear.

Publications (1)

High pathogenicity avian influenza: Targeted active surveillance of wild birds to enable early detection of emerging disease threats

Author: Wade, D., Ashton-Butt, A., Scott, G., Reid, S., Coward, V., Hansen, R.D.E., Banyard, A.C. & Ward, A.

Published: 2022

The disease Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has caused significant damage to both wild bird populations and the poultry industry. Detection of the disease has tended to rely on the sampling of dead birds following the reporting of mortality events, but could a different approach provide advance warning of potential outbreaks?

11.12.22

Papers

View on journal website

More Evidence

More evidence from Conservation Evidence.com

Partners

Birdfacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, RSPB, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC and other partners.
Find a Species

Search by common or scientific name

Or view the alphabetical list of UK bird species