Brazilian teal

Amazonetta brasiliensis

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:
Brazilian teal (en); pé-vermelho (pt); canard amazonette (fr); pato brasileño (es); Amazonasente (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Anseriformes
Family Anatidae

Range:
These birds are found throughout Brazil and also in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela.

Size:
Brazilian teals are 35-40 cm long and weigh 350-600 g.

Habitat:
They are mostly found in inland wetlands, such as bogs, marshes, swamps and lakes, but also in moist scrublands, wet grasslands and tropical moist forests. rarely also on coastal lagoons and mangroves. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
Brazilian teals feed on seeds, fruits, aquatic roots, aquatic insects, crustaceans, worms and small fishes.

Breeding:
These birds breed in June-December. The nest is usually a mounds of plant matter surrounded by water, bur they can also nest on tree hollows or abandoned nests on cliffs or in trees. The female lays 6-9 pale cream or yellow-tinged white eggs, which are incubated for 23-27 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and are immediately able to hunt insects on their own, but follow the mother until fledging, 50-60 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
The Brazilian teal has a very large breeding range and is described as common in areas with suitable habitat. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats and this species is quite adaptable to habitat changes.