The Deceptively Ornate Waterfowl in the World
The Cinnamon Teal Duck is often an overlooked species of waterfowl, possibly due to the nature of them being a challenge to perfectly capture them in photography and videography. Cinnamon Teal Ducks are a smaller duck, smaller than Mandarins and Wood Ducks, and are available in 4 subspecies. Cinnamon Teal range from the Pacific Coast of the United States, down through Central America, and into South America as south as Peru, Southern Brazil, and Argentina — but mostly just the Pacific Coast. This type of duck has a longer bill, making it a true dabbling duck similar to the Mallard, but more like any Shoveler.
Cinnamon Teal drakes are deceptively ornate — upon first inspection, one could not help but notice their deep, rusty cinnamon head, breast, and flank. A cinnamon-red eye appears at maturity in the drake, while brown for the hen. However, most photographers are lucky to capture the Cinnamon Teal drake's beautiful sky-blue shoulders, followed by a beautiful emerald-green wing speculum. Lastly, Cinnamon Teal drakes have lime-green to tan to black coverts. Direct sunlight or clear skies is the only way to truly appreciate the Cinnamon Teal drake. The Cinnamon Teal hens are much duller than the drakes, expectedly so, being that they are ground nesters. Hens nicely camouflage as they hide in thick marginals or tall grass. Cinnamon Teal Ducks generally begin laying in February and can have 2-12 ducklings per clutch.
Since the Cinnamon Teal Duck is hunted annually, their population can decline at any moment. The estimated numbers in the wild is approximately 300,000 birds. However, we question if this number is based on hunting territory or not since these birds have quite a large migration from the Northern Pacific US to the Southern most tip of South America. Futher, there is a dense human poplulation throughout the Pacific Coast that the Cinnamon Teal's typical habitat includes marshland and ponds, being they eat a lot of plant species. The IUCN Red List claims they are "Least Concerned (LC)" but notes their wild population is declining. The Cinnamon Teal are noted as "Vulnerable (VU)" by some organizations and ornithologists. In aviculture, the Cinnamon Teal Ducks are not as regularly found in captivity as they once were, making them an exotic addition to your aviary.
To help the species, we at Überchic Ranch have procured a diverse gene pool so that the best quality Cinnamon Teal Ducks are being bred under our care. This small, gentle duck species would be sure to give hours of joy simply by observing their day-to-day behavior.
Excellent Tolerance
The Cinnamon Teal Duck does well in harsh Winter climates due to their wide range from the Pacfic Coast down into South America. The Cinnamon Teal Duck also copes well in smaller enclosures and aviaries.
Calm and Inquisitive Demeanor
The Cinnamon Teal Duck may be timid at first, but would eventually be interested in you once they know you give treats. They aren't as wild or aggressive as other species of waterfowl.
Community Birds
The Cinnamon Teal Duck, being a smaller bird, does not require as much space and should find peace if placed with other community birds.
