COVER STORY: SPECIES PROFILE
AT ABOUT 14in long, the ringed teal (Callonetta leucophrys) is among the smallest of waterfowl. Indeed, only the pygmy geese that occupy the genus Nettapus (and are actually pygmy ducks) are smaller. The African pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus) is about 12in long and is considered to be the smallest of all the 174 species of waterfowl.
The ringed teal has an uninterrupted range among five countries in the centre of South America. It occurs from southern Brazil into Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. It mostly frequents inaccessible swampy tropical forests and marshy clearings. In terms of population, it is considered a species “of Least Concern”. Formerly it was included in the large genus , but it now occupies its own genus and is believed to be most closely). Sometimes the species is classed in a tribe of waterfowl known as perching ducks, which include a variety of species such the Muscovy, Mandarin and Carolina ducks, together with the pygmy geese and others. All are equipped with strong toenails, enabling them to perch on tree branches and nest in tree hollows. Other names for the species are “red-shouldered teal” and “ring-necked teal”, although other than being a dabbling duck it is unrelated to other “teal” species, which lack strong toenails and nest on the ground in vegetation.
