Common teal

Common teal
Name	Common teal
Status	LC
Status system	IUCN3.1
Genus	Anas
Species	crecca
Authority	Linnaeus, 1758

Common teal is a small dabbling duck of the genus Anas described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is widespread across Eurasia, with migratory connections to Africa and South Asia, and has featured in studies by institutions such as the Royal Society and the British Ornithologists' Union. The species has cultural and economic significance in regions from the United Kingdom to the Russian Federation and appears in conservation work by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Taxonomy and etymology

The species was named by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae and placed in the genus Anas, which includes other ducks described by naturalists like Johann Friedrich Gmelin. The specific epithet crecca derives from older vernacular names recorded in works by John Ray and collectors associated with the Linnaean Society of London. Taxonomic treatments have been revised by researchers at the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum, London, and molecular analyses published in journals such as those of the American Ornithological Society and Nature have clarified relationships between this species and close relatives like the Green-winged teal and other members of the Anatidae family. Historic classifications by the Zoological Society of London and contemporary checklists from the International Ornithological Congress reflect these changes.

Description

Adults are small ducks with compact bodies noted in field guides from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Males in breeding plumage display a distinctive lateral facial stripe and coloration characterized in plates by artists associated with the British Museum and the Linnean Society. Females and eclipse males are described in monographs from the American Museum of Natural History and identification keys used by birders in publications of the Audubon Society. Morphometrics reported in studies by the Max Planck Society and the Natural History Museum, Tring include weight, wing span, and bill length. Plumage and molt patterns are illustrated in guides by authors affiliated with the Royal Entomological Society and documented in ring-recovery datasets held by the European Union for Bird Ringing.

Distribution and habitat

The species breeds across temperate and subarctic zones of Europe, the Russian Federation, and parts of Siberia, with wintering ranges extending to North Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Flyways link breeding areas with staging sites protected under agreements like the Ramsar Convention and monitored by agencies such as BirdLife International and national bodies including the Ministry of Environment and Forests (India). Habitats include freshwater wetlands, marshes, and flooded fields documented in surveys by the United Nations Environment Programme and regional conservation NGOs such as the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. Occurrence records are maintained in databanks run by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and museums including the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

Behavior and ecology

The species is a dabbling feeder described in ecological studies by universities such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Harvard University. Foraging behavior, diet composition, and interspecific interactions are reported in journals like Ecology Letters and in work by researchers at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. The species participates in mixed-species flocks with waterfowl cataloged by the Wetlands International program and displays seasonal movements mapped by satellite telemetry projects funded by entities including the European Commission and the National Geographic Society. Predation pressures from raptors such as species studied by the RSPB and mammalian predators documented in reports by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust influence vigilance and roosting behavior. Parasite and disease dynamics have been examined in laboratories at the Pasteur Institute and universities like Pennsylvania State University.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Breeding phenology, clutch size, and incubation periods have been quantified in long-term studies coordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Finnish Museum of Natural History. Nesting in ground vegetation near water is recorded in field reports archived by the National Audubon Society and monitored by local conservation groups such as the Danish Ornithological Society. Young rearing, fledging success, and juvenile survival rates are topics of research published by the European Journal of Wildlife Research and tracked in banding schemes run by the Nordic Bird Ringing Scheme. Life-history parameters are included in syntheses produced by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and referenced in species accounts by the Handbook of the Birds of the World project.

Conservation and threats

Global assessments by the International Union for Conservation of Nature list the species as of lesser concern, but regional declines have prompted action from organizations like BirdLife International, the Wetlands International, and national agencies such as the Environment Agency (England) and the Ministry of Environment (France). Threats include habitat loss from drainage projects documented in reports by the European Environment Agency and hunting pressure regulated under frameworks like the Convention on Migratory Species and regional hunting laws enforced by bodies including the Scottish Natural Heritage. Climate change impacts are modeled in studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and conservation responses have been proposed by coalitions including the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and the World Wildlife Fund. Conservation measures involve habitat protection, management of wetland reserves by organizations like the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and monitoring through networks such as the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement.

Category:Anas Category:Birds described in 1758