thumb|Baikal teal
The Baikal teal (Sibirionetta formosa), also called the bimaculate duck or squawk duck, is a dabbling duck that breeds in eastern Russia and winters in East Asia.
Taxonomy
The first formal description of the Baikal teal was by the German naturalist Johann Gottlieb Georgi in 1775 under the binomial name Anas formosa. A molecular phylogentic study published in 2009 found that the genus Anas as then defined was non-monophyletic. Based on this analysis the genus was split into four proposed genera with the Baikal teal placed in the resurrected genus Sibirionetta that had been introduced by the German zoologist Hans von Boetticher in 1929. The name Sibirionetta is derived from the Latin sibiricus for Siberia and the Ancient Greek nētta for a duck. The specific epithet formosa is from the Latin formosus for "beautiful".
Description
The Baikal teal has a height of , and a weighs an average of . At a length between , this duck is slightly larger and longer-tailed than the common teal. The breeding male is unmistakable, with a striking green nape, yellow and black auriculars, neck, and throat. It has a dark crown, and its breast is light brown with dark spots. Its grey sides are set off on the front and rear with white bars.
The female looks similar to a female green-winged teal but with a longer tail, and a distinctive white spot at the base of the bill and a white throat that angles to the back of the eye. She also has a distinct light eyebrow bordered by a darker crown. The underwing is also similar to the Green-winged Teal, but has a darker leading edge. The green speculum has an indistinct cinnamon-cream inner border. The juvenile has a plumage similar to that of the female and can be distinguished from the Common Teal by the pale loral spot.
In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female, but plumage is a much richer reddish-brown (rufous) colour.
Distribution and habitat
It breeds within the forest zone of eastern Siberia from the Yenisey basin eastwards to Kamchatka, northern Koryak, eastern Magadan Oblast, northern Khabarovsk Krai, southeastern and northern Sakha east central Irkutsk Oblast, and northern Krasnoyarsk Krai. It is a migratory species, wintering in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, northern and eastern China, from Beijing down the coast to the Vietnam border, and west to Yunnan, then north to Chongqing and Henan.
It breeds in pools on the tundra edge and within swampy forests. In winter it is found on lowland fresh waters.
Status
This species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, though it was classified as Vulnerable before 2011 due to hunting and destruction of its wintering wetland habitats.
Gallery
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Image:Baikal Teal (Anas formosa) RWD3.jpg
Image:Baikal Teal (Anas formosa) RWD1.jpg
Image:A fasciculus of the birds of China (Pl. 11) (7064980869).jpg
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References
External links
- Images and movies of the Baikal teal (Anas formosa) on ARKive
- Baikal Teal from the Internet Bird Collection