Grey Teal
Encyclopedia
The Grey Teal, Anas gracilis is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in New Guinea
, Australia
, New Zealand
, Vanuatu
and Solomon Islands
.
This is a mottled brown duck
with white and green flashes on its wings. The male and female Grey Teal share the same colouration, in contrast to the related Chestnut Teal
, whose male and female are strikingly different. The Grey Teal has almost identical colouration to the female Chestnut Teal and the Grey can only be distinguished by its lighter coloured neck and paler face. Juveniles are paler than adults, especially on the head.
The Grey Teal nests near its favoured freshwater lakes and marshes, usually on the ground, but also in tree holes or rabbit
burrows.
This is a vocal duck, especially at night. The male gives a soft preep, and the female has a loud quack.
The Grey Teal is a gregarious species. In Australia it is nomadic, rapidly colonising suitable habitat following rain. In 1957, large numbers fled Australia, moving to New Zealand to escape drought.
It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Sunda Teal
, as Anas gibberifrons gracilis.
Widespread throughout its large range, the Grey Teal is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
It is often mistaken for a female Chestnut Teal
, due to similar colouring.
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
and Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
This is a mottled brown duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
with white and green flashes on its wings. The male and female Grey Teal share the same colouration, in contrast to the related Chestnut Teal
Chestnut Teal
The Chestnut Teal is a dabbling duck found in southern Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.-Description:The Chestnut Teal is darker and a slightly bigger bird than the Grey Teal....
, whose male and female are strikingly different. The Grey Teal has almost identical colouration to the female Chestnut Teal and the Grey can only be distinguished by its lighter coloured neck and paler face. Juveniles are paler than adults, especially on the head.
The Grey Teal nests near its favoured freshwater lakes and marshes, usually on the ground, but also in tree holes or rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
burrows.
This is a vocal duck, especially at night. The male gives a soft preep, and the female has a loud quack.
The Grey Teal is a gregarious species. In Australia it is nomadic, rapidly colonising suitable habitat following rain. In 1957, large numbers fled Australia, moving to New Zealand to escape drought.
It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Sunda Teal
Sunda Teal
The Sunda Teal, Anas gibberifrons, also known as the Indonesian Teal, is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in Indonesia. The species formerly included the Andaman Teal Anas albogularis and the Grey Teal, Anas gracilis as subspecies....
, as Anas gibberifrons gracilis.
Widespread throughout its large range, the Grey Teal is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.
It is often mistaken for a female Chestnut Teal
Chestnut Teal
The Chestnut Teal is a dabbling duck found in southern Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.-Description:The Chestnut Teal is darker and a slightly bigger bird than the Grey Teal....
, due to similar colouring.