TEAL

any of about 15 small ducks of the genus Anas (family Anatidae), found on the six major continents and many islands. Within the divisions of true duck species, the teal belong in the dabbling duck (q.v.) group. Many of the teal are popular as game birds, the best known being the Holarctic green-winged teal (A. crecca), a bird about 3338 centimetres (1315 inches) in length, usually found in dense flocks. The small blue-winged teal (A. discors) breeds across Canada and the northern United States and winters south of the U.S. Also found in North America is the cinnamon teal (A. cyanoptera), a richly coloured reddish bird with a blue wing patch. The Hottentot teal (A. punctata) of Africa is quite tame and frequently remains immobile among vegetation even when shots are fired nearby. Teal are primarily herbivorous, although animal foods may comprise 25 percent of the diet of some species such as the blue-wing. In many species flocks take off as a group and change direction in unison.