Cinnamon Teal Duck - Duck Hunting - Wetland Hunting
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Description
Cinnamon Teal Ducks are usually small in size with a sizeable head and a longer bill when compared to a Blue-Winged Teal duck. These ducks are 38.4 to 42.8 cm in length, weigh 335 – 401 g, and their wingspan ranges from 54 to 57 cm.
Typically, breeding/mature males have long dark bills, red eyes. Their plumage is rusty with a brownish back and white underwings. On the other hand, females and non-breeding males are rich brownish in general.
Habitat
Cinnamon Teal ducks thrive in fresh ponds and marshes. These ducks favor alkaline, shallow lakes, fresh lakes, or extensive wetlands because they have plenty of food.
Diet
Seeds are the main diet. However, sometimes the Cinnamon Teal Ducks feed on plant material, for instance, sedges, pondweeds, smartweeds, grasses, etc. You can also find these birds, especially the young ones feeding on snails, small crustaceans, and insects. The conventional feeding behavior is mainly by foraging in shallow water. These birds feed by swimming forward with their heads partly submerged in water while straining food. Sometimes, a feeding duck may follow another duck to take advantage of the food stirred up via paddling. Occasionally, these birds feed on land near water sources.
Nesting
Several mates can court one female duck. However, during courtship, male ducks make a ritualized mock feeding, short displays, preening movements, and pursuit the females with short flights. The nest site is close to a water source to ease movement and feeding the young. Usually, the nest is built among the good cover of weeds, salt grass, or sedges to protect the eggs and the young. Females are responsible for choosing the nest site and building the nest. If the nest is on the ground, a shallow depression lined up with weeds and grass makes breeding and movement easier.
Females lay 9 to 12 whitish to pale buff eggs. Females incubate the eggs for 21 to 25 days, depending on the season/prevailing weather conditions. After hatching, females lead the young to a water source, although the ducklings find their food. The young are capable of flight after seven weeks. In case of danger, the female displays a broken wing act as a distraction. Sometimes, the male may not abandon the female until when the eggs are about to hatch.
