Fun Cinnamon Teal Facts For Kids

A cinnamon teal (order Anseriformes, family Anatidae) is one of the smallest species of dabbling duck that is known for its contrasting feathers. It belongs to the family of Anatidae and is known to have five subspecies, out of which one is considered extinct.

These ducks with red eyes are generally found in North and South America and are also known to migrate in winter for breeding in wetlands, reservoirs, mangrove swamps, and also estuaries.

These are small-sized North American ducks whose sex can easily be identified due to color patterns. This species belongs to the order Anatidae, which is the same as geese and swans.

Cinnamon teals (Spatula cyanoptera) are omnivorous creatures that are known to prefer plants and grass during fall, while they mostly eat insects during winter. If you like this article, check out the Senegal parrot and the ring-necked duck. 

Cinnamon Teal Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Cinnamon Teal?

A cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera) is one of the most varied species of duck that is very commonly found in North America and South America. It is a small-sized dabbling duck that lives in wetlands, including ponds, marshes, etc.

What class of animal does a Cinnamon Teal belong to?

A cinnamon teal belongs to the class of Aves, or birds, that are capable of flying fast due to their well-developed streamlined bodies and a large wingspan of around 22 in. They belong to the same class of birds as geese and swans.

How many Cinnamon Teals are there in the world?

Just like many other wild animals, it is almost impossible to find out the total number of these North American ducks that are found all over the world. But this duck has been listed as belonging to the category of Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List.

The population of cinnamon teals though has been considered to be decreasing, though it is not that fast and special measures have been taken to restore their population and safeguard these creatures.

Where does a Cinnamon Teal live?

Cinnamon teals are small-sized duck species that are usually found in the wetlands of North and South America. The blue-winged teal ducks are also known to cover a generous amount of other areas for breeding, starting in western North America from British Columbia in the west of Canada to Montana and Texas, California, and Mexico in the south.

What is a Cinnamon Teal's habitat?

They are known to have a variety of habitats. Teals are usually found in wetlands such as ponds, marshes, and streams as well as lakes that are shallow and have low-growing reeds and are covered with abundant vegetation and plants on their edges where they dabble for their food.

These ducks also prefer lakes with alkaline water and have relatively low plant growth on the borders.

Who do Cinnamon Teals live with?

Cinnamon teals are rather social creatures that are known to travel and stay in pairs as well as groups. Blue-winged teal ducks are very commonly seen to be traveling in flocks that consist of several pairs of male and female cinnamon teals that also live and travel together.

How long does a Cinnamon Teal live?

Cinnamon teals have a varied lifespan and relatively low life expectancy ratios, especially in the wild. The ducklings or chicks are known to develop and find their food from the very first day of coming out of eggs.

They usually are known to be around their mothers for at least 6-7 weeks, after which they travel more and more distance from the nest.

Since they have well-known predators, their lifespan has not been studied efficiently since 1982, which was around 12 years. The recent studies displayed very different results, according to which only 29% of ducklings survived the first year while only 46% survived until the second year, which is shocking.

How do they reproduce?

Cinnamon teal ducks are known to reproduce through sexual internal fertilization that occurs during winters, for which they migrate to warmer climes.

The females are usually known to swim in front of the male cinnamon teal that she is interested in while the males are known to dip their heads in the water and take short flights to attract females. Males are also known to compete against one another if there are several males interested in a single female.

After this, they are known to copulate, which occurs on the water's surface.

What is their conservation status?

Cinnamon teals have recognized member species of ducks that are listed under the category of least concern by IUCN. Although their population is said to be decreasing every year due to various factors including habitat loss, human intervention, and water pollution they are not considered that prone to being extinct.

It is recorded that one of the subspecies borreroi of Cinnamon Teal ducks is extinct while the other four are still intact and have no fear of being extinct shortly.

Cinnamon Teal Fun Facts

What do Cinnamon Teals look like?

Both the cinnamon teal male and cinnamon teal female are different looking and can be easily distinguished from one another. The cinnamon teal hens have small heads and necks which are light brown, with a gray bill and brown eyes.

They also have brown underparts, a white belly, dark v-shaped spots on their breast and sides, and a pale blue shoulder patch with white band feathers under them that are hidden and can be seen when they fly.

The males are known to have a cinnamon-colored head, sides, stomach, and neck, with a black bill, yellow feet, and legs, with red eyes for males that have reached their sexual maturity. They have a green speculum, which is differentiated from the bluish shoulder patch with a white stripe.

How cute are they?

They are one of the cutest and most beautiful ducks in America. Their small size makes them fast flyers and they are also friendly and it is very rare for them to display aggression, especially towards humans.

How do they communicate?

Cinnamon teal ducks are rather vocal species that are known to have different sounds for communicating with one another. The male cinnamon teals are known to make low chattering sounds, while the female cinnamon teals are known to use quacking sounds to communicate with one another occasionally.

How big is a Cinnamon Teal?

A fully grown or adult cinnamon teal has an average weight of 11.8-14.1 oz (335-401 g), with an average length of 16 in (40.6 cm), which is almost the size of a crow and is greater than green-winged teal and smaller than northern shoveler.

How fast can a Cinnamon Teal fly?

Cinnamon Teals are heavy ducks that are known to have amazing flying skills and are really fast fliers that can take off directly from the water, which is very rare among other species. Some ducks of this species have been clocked at impressive speeds of 60 mph (96.6 kph).  

How much does a Cinnamon Teal weigh?

Cinnamon teals are rather small-sized ducks, all of whose subspecies are similar looking and are hard to differentiate. These ducks weigh around 11.8-14.1 oz (335-401 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

They are generally referred to as male cinnamon teals and female cinnamon teals.

What would you call a baby Cinnamon Teal?

The babies or young ones of cinnamon teal ducks are generally referred to as either called chicks or ducklings.

What do they eat?

As seen before, a cinnamon teal is a small-sized dabbling duck that usually feeds on both plants and insects that are found in the water bodies where they reside. Cinnamon Teals are known to live in shallow waters where they dabble to catch and find their food which is either small aquatic vertebrates or plants.

These shallow-water ducks are omnivorous creatures that usually eat plants, seeds, and insects that are floating in the water around them.

Are they dangerous?

No, cinnamon teals are not an aggressive or violent species of duck. These birds are usually known to put on an act of a broken wing which helps them to distract or lure their predator to gain some time to fly away. These birds may have small fights with equivalent predators while safeguarding their eggs, young, and also themselves.

Would they make a good pet?

No, cinnamon teals are a wild species of duck, all of whose subspecies are not suitable as pets. These birds are known to have specific habitats that they are suited to and are also known to migrate from one to another almost every other day which shows that cinnamon teals are not suited to be pets for families.

Moreover, instead of being fed, they prefer dabbling for food.

Did you know...

The cinnamon teal is known to have five different subspecies out of which only one species is native to North America and the remaining four subspecies of cinnamon teal are found in South America.

The subspecies of cinnamon ducks, called borreroi, have been recorded since 1950 and are most likely considered extinct.

Cinnamon teals eat by dabbling on the water's surface, for which these birds dip their head in the water and eat insects, plants, and grass that is floating in the water.

Their population is almost not affected by the hunting activities of humans, as these birds are known to migrate much earlier than other species.

The young ones or babies of cinnamon teals are known to hide in water when they sense danger, while the adults are known to use a broken wing display to distract their predators before flying away.

When is the Cinnamon Teal duck's mating season?

Cinnamon teals are known to display various rituals while selecting and finding their partners and are also known to select and renew their bonds every winter season before mating. This duck is monogamous and is known to mate in specific intervals, only during the winter.

They reproduce through sexual fertilization in water, and the female is known to lay eggs that range from four to 16 in number.

The eggs take around 21-25 days to hatch. Both male and female cinnamon teals are known to achieve sexual maturity after reaching the age of one year.

What is the hunting season for Cinnamon Teal ducks?

There is no particular hunting season for cinnamon teal ducks as the timings and regulations vary across counties. You must check with your local authorities for more information regarding this matter.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including the blue-winged teal and the limpkin.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our cinnamon teal duck coloring pages.