Ringed Teal

The Ringed Teal (Callonetta Leucophrys) is native to Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina and southern Brazil. Despite the bright plumage , Ringed Teals (Callonetta Leucophrys) have white oval upperwing-patches. The mates are flashy and colorful while the female are quiet elegant and have striking head patterns, with dark crowns and white lores, eye-stripes and throats. The teals are limited to tropical swampy forests andmarshy clearings, secluded pools and small streams in well-wooded lowlands, as well as seasonally flooded lowlands featuring patches of forest. They emit nasal honks. The soft, wheezy whistles of courting drakes differ from the sharp, rising female notes that have been likened to harsh, catlike screams. Low quacks, however, are more typical. A pleasant whistling sound emanates from their wings when the swift, agile ducks are in flight.They are primarily vegetarian and feed on a variety of small seeds as well as invertebrates. Ringed Teal (Callonetta Leucophrys) can usually be expected to breed in their first year and as with other species that originate from sub-tropical regions they can have a very extended breeding season. They can lay from March through to September so a number of clutches can be anticipated in a season if the eggs are taken for artificial incubation. Ducklings remain in the nests for a day or so following hatching, and leap from secure elevated sites when summoned by their mothers. Males remain nearby, and broods are accompanied to water by both parents. Drakes assist in duckling care and can be quite fierce in their defense, occasionally even driving off their own mates. Vigilant and ever alert, males habitually perch on elevated lookouts as their progeny and mates feed.They perch in trees and they nest in isolation in tree hollows in the wild. The pair actively work together looking for a suitable nest site. The Ringed Teal (Callonetta Leucophrys) have a very strong pair bond and will never be seen far apart and consequently hybrids with other species are uncommon. The clutch size can vary significantly from eight to fourteen eggs. The ducklings grow rapidly and the females can easily be distinguished in their first plumage having the distinctive white eye stripe that remains with them into adult plumage.