Sibirionetta formosa
The Baikal Teal (*Sibirionetta formosa*) is a small, exquisitely patterned dabbling duck, measuring about 39-43 cm (15-17 in) in length with a wingspan of 65-71 cm (26-28 in). Males boast one of the most striking plumages among waterfowl, featuring a complex facial pattern of dark green, yellow-buff, and cream crescents outlined in black, often giving it the nickname 'Spectacled Teal.' Their body plumage is finely vermiculated grey with spotted breasts and elongated drooping scapulars. Female...
Found in shallow freshwater wetlands, including taiga forest pools, slow-moving rivers, and bogs during the breeding season. Outside breeding, it prefers larger, often coastal, freshwater lakes, estuaries, and rice paddies in lowland areas.
Primarily herbivorous, consuming a wide variety of seeds from aquatic plants, sedges, and grasses. Also supplements its diet with aquatic invertebrates, such as insects, crustaceans, and mollusks, particularly during the breeding season.
Baikal Teals are primarily diurnal, foraging most actively during morning and evening hours. Their foraging strategy involves dabbling in shallow water, filter-feeding and sifting through mud for submerged vegetation and invertebrates. While not strongly territorial on breeding grounds, pairs mai...
The Baikal Teal's breeding range is concentrated in eastern Siberia, extending from the Yenisei River basin eastward across the taiga zone of the Russian Far East to the Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island. Isolated breeding populations also exist in northern Mongolia and northeastern China. ...
Least Concern
- Known as the 'Spectacled Teal' due to the male's striking facial pattern, resembling glasses. - Males acquire their full intricate plumage only in their second year; first-year males resemble females. - They undertake one of the longest migrations of any duck species, traveling thousands of kil...