CURRENT DISCOVERY

Teal

Teals are significantly smaller than the well-known mallards. A good characteristic is the green "mirror". This is a shiny green spot on the wing, which is located on the side of the body of the swimming bird. Whether male or female, old or young: every teal shows the green mirror (although it can sometimes be covered by other feathers). Males in their plumage are easy to recognize: They show a reddish-brown head and a large, green field of vision that is finely framed by a thin, yellow line. The females look similar to those of many other duck species, with the exception of the green mirror.

Among the various calls of the teal, the one that only the male makes stands out. A bright, ringing and somewhat hoarse sounding "kriih(k)-kriih(k) kriih(k)-kriih(k)". It is said to have given the teal its name.

Teals feed on plant and animal food, which they pick up by beaking in shallow water. Small seeds play an important role, especially in winter. Their prey are very small invertebrates. The teal has a less varied diet than the mallard. It hardly gets used to the presence of humans. They are not usually found in places where waterfowl are fed by humans.

Males and females mate in the wintering grounds and migrate together to the breeding grounds. There they presumably live in a monogamous marriage for one breeding season. The female builds a nest on the ground near the water and usually incubates 8-11 eggs from April onwards. The young hatch after about three weeks and are cared for by the female until they fledge. The male plays no role in caring for the brood, but stays close to the nest.

Teals breed in large parts of Eurasia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In the Alps, they breed up to almost 2000 meters above sea level on small mountain lakes. In Austria, the teal is a very rare breeding bird with a population of around 100 breeding pairs, mainly in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Salzburg.

During the breeding season, teals seek out small, shallow bodies of water with heavily weeded banks. These can be bog lakes, forest ponds or meadow ditches, for example. Outside of the breeding season, they are less demanding: they prefer shallow still waters with large areas of silt or mud where they search for food. The soda ponds of the Seewinkel are just right for this.

The destruction of small, undisturbed bodies of water (including moors) is the main cause of endangerment in Austria. In addition, teals are heavily hunted in parts of their range, even in some of Austria's federal states. The poor situation of the teal is particularly highlighted this year: It is Bird of the Year 2025