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The Red-billed Teal, Anas erythrorhyncha, is the most common duck in South Africa and one of the most common ducks in southern Africa. It is gregarious outside the breeding season with flocks of over 2000 having been recorded. The Red-billed Teal feeds in shallow water and lives on inland wetlands, artificial or natural, breeding in temporary pans and dams. It is nomadic, rapidly locating new temporary pans and wetlands, rarely moving more than 250 km. It feeds by dabbling for plant food, or foraging on land mainly in the evening or at night for the most part on vegetable matter and seeds, mixed in with smaller quantities of invertebrates.


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They make extremely elegant portraits...


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The female builds the nest, which is a shallow hole on dry ground, filled with grass and leaves. It lays 5-16 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female, for 25-27 days. The ducklings leave the nest for the water as soon as they are dry, with the family group breaking up after about 3 weeks of being together, although the chicks are only capable of flight at 56 days old.


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Red-billed teals are preyed on by African marsh harrier and saddle-billed stork and as ducklings by African fish-eagle and African purple swamphen.

I can't see JvR's pics any longer. Thought another one might help!

In the middle of May, travelling near Kannaguass in the north of the park, we saw six birds flying in unison looking for all the world like ducks. We waited for them to land and they appeared to be redbilled teals. In KTP?! I know there had been lots of rain the day before so there were lots of puddles to muddle them, but they seemed so out of place. We've been to KTP about 20 times, usually between April and September, but have never seen them there before, so surely this qualifies as an 'unusual' sighting? Or were we just not paying attention? Any comments from the boffins would be welcome...

In a TR, I have seen red billed teals in KTP. I think it was Wanderw's. Will check!

P.S. In Sasol's "Birds" the habitat goes all the way through KTP

I don't know what caused the problems, but it should be solved now included a bonus...

That's what I love about KTP. We've been there at least 20 times and it still has something 'new' up its sleeve to show us... Maybe if we'd ever been in the wet season we'd have seen the teals long ago. That's still something on my list of things to do: brave the mid-summer heat to enjoy the greenness (and, I believe, low visitor numbers).