male	male female European distribution female

Identification

The drake has a grey body, dark head and white line along the body like a male Wigeon but the Teal is much smaller and with an obvious yellow, almost white, triangular patch at the rear end. The female often has to be identified by her small size and plain grey bill but look out for the green patch in the speculum and the pale line along the edge of the tail. In flight, Teal are fast and agile, their small size, dark body and pointed wings making them appear almost like waders. Many books recommend the green speculum (that's the coloured panel in the secondaries) as the best field mark but, more realistically, look for a short but broad white line across the inner wing, more conspicuous than on any other British duck.

Habitat

Breeds on moorland lakes and pools with well vegetated margins. Winters on reservoirs, pools, estuaries and marshes.

Migration

Birds from northern Europe move south, where they winter from September-April.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Teal is classed as Common: common species, including species that are certain or probable escapees from captivity when occurring in the British Isles. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Venus Pool, Shrops 01/09/2010	Doxey Marshes, Staffs 15/03/2010	Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk 24/04/2010	Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk 24/04/2010	Greylake RSPB, Somerset 14/03/2010
Pennington Flash, Manc'r 17/04/2010	Leighton Moss, Lancs 18/04/2010	Far Ings NR, Lincs 10/04/2010	Rutland Wtr, Leics 11/04/2010	Brandon Marsh, Warks 08/04/2010

 View all pictures of Teal

Teal breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greenland
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Svalbard
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob1840.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Teal	Edit this link
	Broken link
Recommend a new link

BirdGuides Ltd are not responsible for the content of external sites. If you find a broken link, please click the appropriate "Broken link" link above`.

	Identifying female Green-winged and Baikal Teal	Thursday 5th April 2007
	Undoubtedly overlooked, many female or juvenile Green-winged Teals escape detection due to the complexity of their identification. Likewise, Baikal Teals in similar plumage. ID expert Martin Garner throws down the gauntlet.

 BirdGuides webzine