General

Cinnamon Teal: Small dabbling duck with scaled, dark brown upperparts and cinnaon-brown underparts, head, and neck. Eyes are red and bill is relatively long and dark. Green speculum and pale blue shoulder patch on wing are separated by white line. Female and juvenile are brown-scaled overall with dull blue shoulder patches, dark eyes, and pale edges around upper mandibles. Eclipse male resembles female but has faint cinnamon-brown wash over most of body, red eyes, and dark bill.

Range and Habitat

Cinnamon Teal: Breeds in western U.S. near Great Salt Lake, Malheur Basin, San Luis Valley, and Cariboo-Chilcotin parklands and winters in Mexico and Central America. Preferred habitats include marshes and shallow ponds.

Breeding and Nesting

Cinnamon Teal: Nine to twelve white or pink buff eggs are laid in a shallow cup of grass lined with down. Nest is built by the female and usually hidden in tall vegetation 100 feet or more from water. Incubation ranges from 21 to 25 days and is carried out by the female. Young fly in about 49 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Cinnamon Teal: Diet includes seeds, aquatic plants, snails, and insects; forages by skimming water with bill or dabbling below surface.

Vocalization

Cinnamon Teal: Gives a thin whistled "peep" or "peer."

Similar Species

Cinnamon Teal: Male is unmistakable. Immature and eclipse male look similar to female Green-winged Teal, but have richer brown body, red-orange eyes, and less distinct eye-stripe.