Blue-billed teal

Not to be confused with blue-billed duck.

Blue-billed teal
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Spatula
Species:
S. hottentota
Binomial name
Spatula hottentota
(Eyton, 1838)
Synonyms

Anas punctata Burchell, 1822 (senior synonym)
Querquedula hottentota Eyton, 1838
Punanetta hottentota Eyton, 1838
Anas hottentota (Eyton, 1838)

Spatula hottentota - MHNT

The blue-billed teal, spotted teal or Hottentot teal (Spatula hottentota) is a species of dabbling duck of the genus Spatula. It is migratory resident in eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan and Ethiopia west to Niger and Nigeria and south to South Africa and Namibia.[1][2] In west Africa and Madagascar it is sedentary.

The blue-billed teal breed year round, depending on rainfall, and stay in small groups or pairs. They build nests above water in tree stumps and use vegetation. Ducklings leave the nest soon after hatching, and the mother's parenting is limited to providing protection from predators and leading young to feeding areas.[3] This species is omnivorous and prefers smaller shallow bodies of water.[4]

The blue-billed teal is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The status of the blue-billed teal on the IUCN Red List is Least Concern.[1]

Several authorities still refer to this species as the Hottentot teal, however, as the word "Hottentot" is an offensive term for the Khoisan people, there has been a movement to change the vernacular name.[5]

  1. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2016). "Spatula hottentota". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22680332A92856138. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22680332A92856138.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Clements, James F. (2007). The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. Ithaca, NJ: Comstock Publishing Associates. ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9.
  3. ^ "Hottentot Teal Fact Sheet". Lincoln Park Zoo. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19.
  4. ^ BirdLife species factsheet for Spatula hottentota
  5. ^ "English Name Updates – IOC World Bird List".