A practical guide to bird watching in Sonoma County, California
(Unless otherwise indicated, all phone numbers are in the 707 area code)
Cinnamon Teal may be present in Sonoma County at any time of the year, but numbers are greatest during spring migration (mid-January through March) and lowest in the summer and autumn months. Prefers permanent or seasonal shallow wetlands with good vegetation. Forages by swimming with its head underwater or by picking food from the surface. Often found on sewer ponds, tidal estuaries, and flooded fields. According to the Breeding Bird Atlas, Cinnamon Teal breeds throughout the southern part of the county, whereas most Anas genus ducks that breed in the county nest much more selectively, mostly in the southeast corner of the county (with the exception of the Mallard; Mallards breed throughout the area). Probably best seen in Sonoma County at Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility and Shollenberger Park.
The drake is easily identified. Cinnamon overall; scalloped on the back; black, proportionately large, spatulate bill; bright red eyes. The chalky whitish-blue patch on the wing may be entirely hidden or barely visible as a line on the flank at rest on land or in the water, but it’s conspicuous in flight, especially at close range. In silhouette, the large flat bill may suggest a Northern Shoveler, although the teal bill is not nearly as large proportionately. Males maintain an overall cinnamon tone and the bright red eye even in eclipse plumage. Females are more difficult to identify. Like so many female ducks of this genus, they are mostly a mottled brown, although the large bill is often a good clue. Females, too, may sometimes show the whitish-blue line at the flank at rest, but the color is clearly visible in flight or on a stretched wing (photo below). Female Cinnamon Teal is very similar to female Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) but has a somewhat larger bill and less distinct facial markings. Female blue-winged Teal has facial markings including a faint, broken eyering, a suggestion of a dark eyeline, and a faint whitish area at the lores that may extend toward the whitish throat, suggesting a crescent. Female Cinnamon Teal is slightly tawnier overall. Note that Cinnamon Teal may hybridize with Blue-winged Teal.
Trivia: Cinnamon Teal may be the victim of nest parasitism by Mallards, Ruddy Ducks, and Redheads.
The challenges of female duck identification (includes a quiz)
Further reading:
Bolander and Parmeter, Birds of Sonoma County California, rev. ed., 2000, p. 31
Brinkley, National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2007, p. 40
Burridge, ed., Sonoma County Breeding Bird Atlas, 1995, p. 39
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 5th ed., 2006, p. 36
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th ed., 2011, p. 32
Dunne, Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion, 2006, pp. 40-41
Ehrlich, Dobkin, and Wheye, The Birder's Handbook, paperback edition, 1988, p. 68
Fix and Bezener, Birds of Northern California, 2000, p. 82
Floyd, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 2008, p. 41
Kaufman, Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2000, p. 30
Kaufman, Field Guide to Advanced Birding, 2011, pp. 141-159 (notes on duck ID); pp. 144, 148, 149, 150, 151, 157
Lukas, Bay Area Birds: From Sonoma County to Monterey Bay, 2012, pp. 11-12, 13
Parmeter and Wight, Birds of Sonoma County California, Update (2000-2010), 2012, p. 6
Peterson, Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 5th ed., 2002, p. 70
Peterson, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, 4th ed., 2010, p. 28
Peterson, Western Birds, 3rd ed., 1990, p. 48
Sibley, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America,1st ed., 2003, p. 79
Stokes, Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 1st ed., 2010, p. 27
Vuilleumier, American Museum of Natural History, Birds of North America: Western Region, 2011, p. 50
Voice: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds--Cinnamon Teal
© Colin Talcroft, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Unless noted, all photos by the author. If you would like to use one of my images, please ask for permission for non-commercial use with proper credit or commercial use with proper compensation.
Male Cinnamon Teal, Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility, February 1, 2014
Female Cinnamon Teal showing wing pattern
Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility, April 7, 2012
Female Cinnamon Teal
Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility, April 7, 2012
Male Cinnamon Teal
Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility, November 24, 2012
Male Cinnamon Teal showing wing pattern
Ellis Creek Water Treatment Facility, November 24, 2012
EBird reported occurrence in Sonoma County
1990-2013 Sonoma County data. Graph provided by eBird (www.ebird.org), generated May 30, 2013
Cinnamon Teal
Anas cyanoptera
