Communication is common between male and female speckled teals, but it typically takes the form of mating displays or rituals. Agnostic behavior occurs between males and is usually competitive, although these displays have multiple purposes. Generally, A. flavirostris is not territorial. Instead, if both males and females are present, displays may be used to ward off potential competition from other males and to attract potential mates.
Perception in speckled teals is visual and acoustic. Speckled teals use visual cues from the flock to be warned against predators as well as during reproductive behaviors. Acoustic perception in speckled teals also is used during courtship. Like most birds, speckled teals perceive their environment though visual, auditory, tactile and chemical stimuli.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Anas flavirostris shows no vulnerability and is listed as least concern on the IUCN red list. No conservation efforts are being made other than the preservation of the migration routes. The greatest threat to A. flavirostris is habitat fragmentation, but as of now that does not appear to be affecting the population sizes.
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known adverse affects of Anas flavirostris on humans.
Speckled teals are one of ten species of duck that are hunted in South America. Speckled teals are difficult to hunt because of their fast, unpredictable, and low flight pattern, but they are a popular food item.
Positive Impacts: food
Speckled teals (A. flavirostris) typically flock together, but they are occasionally found in group flocks with Anas cyanoptera and Anas versicolor. Speckled teals keep crustaceans populations in check, as well as rotting kelp. They also feed on different kinds of seeds, which plays an important role in seed distribution.
Little is known about parasites that affect Anas flavirostris but there is some evidence of an asymptomatic nematode (Ascarid) infection. This is an infection of the caecum, which is a pouch at the beginning of the large intestine. It can cause caecal mucosa and petechial hemorrhages with heavy infection.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; biodegradation
Food habits for speckled teals are similar to those of other teals. All teal species are omnivores. Speckled teals are dabbling ducks, meaning they stay on the surface and dip for food rather than diving down in the water. They typically consume a variety of small, freshwater invertebrates, such as amphipods (Order Amphipoda) and molluscs (Phylum Mollusca). During colder seasons, A. flavirostris develops a wider, more opportunistic diet, sometimes feeding on rotting kelp, as well as seeds along the shoreline. Anything small and somewhat nutritional may be included in the diet of A. flavirostris.
Animal Foods: insects; mollusks; aquatic crustaceans; other marine invertebrates; zooplankton
Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts; macroalgae
Primary Diet: omnivore
Speckled teals (Anas flavirostris) occupy the eastern shoreline of South America. Their northern-most limits extend to central Colombia and their southern range to Tierra del Fuego, at the southern-most tip of South America.
There are four recognized subspecies of speckled teals, all found in portions of South America. Andean speckled teals (Anas flavirostris andium) breed in the eastern Andes Mountains, from central Colombia south to northern Ecuador. Merida speckled teals (A. flavirostris altipetens) breed in the eastern Andes Mountains south to Bogota in eastern Colombia. Chilean speckled teals (A. flavirostris flavirostris) breed from central Chile and northern Argentina south to Tierra del Fuego. This subspecies also inhabits the Falkland Islands and the Islands of South Georgia. Finally, sharp-winged speckled teals (A. flavirostris oxyptera) breed in the Andes from central Peru and western Bolivia south to northern Chile and Argentina. Excluding Chilean teals, A. flavirostris can be said to generally occupy the northwestern coast of South America.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Differences in habitat use occur among subspecies. All subspecies except Anas flavirostris andium feed on or near lakes and swamps during non-breeding seasons. Anas flavirostris altipetens occupies high-altitude lakes and ponds in the Andes Mountains. This subspecies usually inhabits mountainous regions from 3200 to 4000 meters. Anas flavirostris oxyptera also occupies these high elevation habitats but tends to breed and feed from valleys to the coastline of Chile. Anas flavirostris andium and Anas flavirostris altipetens occupy the Páramo ecosystem, which is the area above the forest line but below the permanent snow line of the Andes Mountains. Anas flavirostris andium is rarely seen below 3200 meters. Finally, Anas flavirostris flavirostris breeds high in the mountains but spend winters in brackish and marine wetland habitats.
Range elevation: 0 to 4000 m.
Average elevation: 3600 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial ; saltwater or marine ; freshwater
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; mountains
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; coastal ; brackish water
Wetlands: marsh ; swamp ; bog
There is little research on speckled teals at this time but there have been reports of blue-winged teals (Anas dicors) surviving up to 17 years. Cinnamon teals (Anas cyanoptera), which are close relatives to speckled teals, have a survival rate of 29% for juveniles in the first year and of that 29% only 46% survive the second year. There have been reports of cinnamon teals surviving 13 years in the wild.
Speckled teals vary in size, shape, and color, depending on age, sex and subspecies. Anas flavirostris is a relatively small duck. Females are smaller than males, with an average weight of 390 g; males average 430 g. IT measures 37 to 43 cm in length and features a wingspan of 63 to 69 cm. Its colors are more subdued than other ducks in the genus Anas, such as Anas platyrhynchos (mallards). Speckled teals generally have dark colored spots on the neck and breasts that extend towards anterior regions of their bodies. They have tan to brown feathers with black tips. Bill coloration varies with subspecies but is either yellow or blueish gray. Females are less colorful than males, and juveniles less colored than males or females.
Differences in appearance among subspecies are as follows: Anas flavirostris altipetens displays a grayish-brown, densely peppered head and neck. Hence, the name "speckled". The scapulars, which are the shoulders of the duck, are black with lighter colored edges. Anas flavirostris flavirostris has a lesser gray color pattern than A. flavirostris altipetens. Instead, its breast has brownish-black spots that tend to become smaller in size away from the anterior portion of the bird. Its wings are grayish brown with dark spots on the upper mantle. The inner feathers contain most of the green and purple iridescent colors. Anas flavirostris andium displays the same patterning as A. flavirostris altipetens but is darker in overall coloring. Anas flavirostris oxyptera has a much paler head relative to other subspecies, but similar speckle patterning. Bills of A. flavirostris flavirostris and A. flavirostris oxyptera are mainly yellow, whereas the bills of A. flavirostris andium and A. flavirostris altipetens are bluish gray.
Range mass: 390 to 420 g.
Range length: 37 to 43 cm.
Range wingspan: 63 to 69 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; sexes colored or patterned differently; male more colorful
The major predator of Anas flavirostris is humans through hunting activities. Flock size can be as large as 200 individuals and this is thought to be a defense mechanism against predation. As it is a ground nesting species, speckled teals are likely at risk of predation by terrestrial mammalian predators. Young ducklings are essentially helpless and very vulnerable to attack. Specific, wild predators of speckled teals are currently unknown.
Known Predators:
Anas flavirostris is a monogamous species. Both sexes of A. flavirostris perform mating displays. Females utter a decrescendo call of 5 to 12 syllables to incite males. Males also perform a greeting gesture which is uncommon in females. The greeting gesture consists of a gaping open bill with the neck stretched forward. Both males and females perform mutual head pumping as pre-copulation displays. Males perform all of the mating displays, particularly bridling, which is a post-copulation display in which the male duck flings its head back and whistles. Females sometimes nod-swim as males do after copulation. Most females re-mate with their previous partner.
Mating System: monogamous
Anas flavirostris males and females reach sexual maturity at approximately one year of age. Anas flavirostris nests from October to November, usually on the ground near both vegetation and water. They only have one brood of ducklings per year, typically consisting of 5 to 8 eggs. Anas flavirostris flavirostris is unique in the genus Anas, in that it tends to nest in elevated tree cavities or other arboreal sites. Females make a half moon shape nest that they completely cover with their bodies. After laying her clutch, she then incubates her eggs for 24 days. After the eggs have hatched, females take the ducklings to water within 24 hours, where they begin to feed on their own. Most often the male joins the female and assists her in brood care. Near the time of fledging, at about 42 to 49 days, ducklings begin to stray away from their mother.
Breeding interval: Speckled teals breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Speckled teals breed from October through November.
Range eggs per season: 5 to 8.
Average time to hatching: 24 days.
Range fledging age: 42 to 49 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
The incubation period lasts for 24 days, during which time the hen covers and protects her eggs. After the eggs hatch, the male rejoins the female to take care of the brood until fledging occurs. Fledging is the stage in a young duck's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. Fledging in A. flavirostris occurs 42 to 49 days after hatching. Until their wings have fully developed, young are still dependent on their parents for protection. The young remain with their parents for an unknown period of time after fledging. The male often leaves the female to care for the young in these late stages.
Parental Investment: precocial ; male parental care ; female parental care ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The yellow-billed teal (Anas flavirostris) is a South American species of duck. Like other teals, it belongs to the diverse genus Anas; more precisely it is one of the "true" teals of subgenus Nettion.[2][3][4] It occurs in Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Brazil. It has also established itself in South Georgia, where it was first recorded breeding in 1971, and has been recorded as far east as Tristan da Cunha. It inhabits freshwater wetlands, preferring palustrine habitat to rivers. Considering its wide range and local abundance, it is not considered threatened by the IUCN.[1][5]
The namesake bill is bright yellow with a black tip and a black band along the ridge of the culmen. [6] The species is somewhat similar to the larger yellow-billed pintail, but has a darker head, shorter neck and plain grayish sides. [7]
Mitochondrial DNA sequence data is most similar to that of the very different-looking green-winged teal.[note 1] Apart from the mystifying relationship with the red-and-green-headed teals, it altogether most resembles the Indian Ocean radiation of teals. However, the yellow-billed teal's unicolored underside and namesake bill are unique, as is to be expected from a species that evolved half a world apart from Bernier's or the grey teal.[2]
This species is also unique among its relatives in some aspects of its post-copulation behavior: After dismounting, the drakes stretch themselves up high and swim around and alongside the females.[4]
Traditionally, there are 2 subspecies:
Previously, this species and the Andean teal formed the superspecies speckled teal, but increasingly taxonomists consider the two species distinct.[8]
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The yellow-billed teal (Anas flavirostris) is a South American species of duck. Like other teals, it belongs to the diverse genus Anas; more precisely it is one of the "true" teals of subgenus Nettion. It occurs in Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Brazil. It has also established itself in South Georgia, where it was first recorded breeding in 1971, and has been recorded as far east as Tristan da Cunha. It inhabits freshwater wetlands, preferring palustrine habitat to rivers. Considering its wide range and local abundance, it is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
