Teal cracker duck
In the family of ducks there is such a bird as the teal cracker. Outwardly, it is a small bird with a specific voice, the sound of which is similar to crackling. For this, the bird got its name.
Teal cracker
Distinctive external signs
The cracker is a rather small duck, which can be noted in the photo, the teal cracker is similar in description to the widespread waterfowl shirokonoski. In length, it grows no more than 40-41 cm, its wingspan reaches 69 cm. The weight of the cracker teal ranges from 0.29 to 0.48 kg.
The teal cracker is very similar to its relative, which even has a similar name - a whistle. In order not to be confused, you should pay attention to the distinctive features of the breed.
Males have striking distinctive external features:
- during the mating season, they are distinguished by a white stripe of sufficient width passing over the eyeball, which is clearly visible against the general brown background and is easily recognizable in the field,
- a teal has a head covered with feathers of a dark brown color on top, the sides of the body are in the same color,
- the plumage of the chest and cervical spine is colored chocolate and intertwined with longitudinal white streaks, the rest of the body is gray with an olive tint,
- tail feathers are brown,
- the sides are painted gray with a gray, diluted black flowing pattern,
- white abdomen and undertail, crossed across by variegated feathers.
The flying teal is distinguished by gleaming green mirrors on the wings.
The whistle subspecies has a similar color. However, the cracker is larger in comparison.
The female teal cracker in the photo is distinguished by a duller color of gray-blue tones with spots on the wings. Unlike males, the duck does not change its plumage and throughout the entire period remains monochromatic: brown in the upper part and variegated white below.
The cracker duck differs from other representatives of the teal in its monochromatic white chin and neck. The young generation of the cracker species, regardless of gender, is distinguished by red plumage on the chest and sides and bright variegation on the abdomen.
Geography of residence
You can see the teal-cracker in the Eurasian temperate latitudes, starting from the islands of Britain, ending with Sakhalin and the Kuriles. Nesting codfish has been recorded in the west and south of France. The northern border of bird habitat runs through Scandinavia and Finland to the White Sea and the Pechora river valley. Teals can be found on the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk. They build their homes in Switzerland and Croatia, the Balkans and Bulgaria, have been reported in the central Turkish region, Azerbaijan, central Kazakhstan, as well as China and Mongolia.
The temperate climate of taiga and semi-desert, steppes and mixed forests are suitable for these birds. They nest on shallow lakes with growing reed and sedge vegetation. In winter, they prefer to live in flooded rice fields, near dams with sewage water. They often stop to rest on the seashores and bays.
The cracker for the winter period completely flies away from its homes, moving to the south, preferring the west or east of Africa. Large concentrations of ducks have been recorded in the White Nile swamps in Kenya, on the southern side of Uganda and some in Tanzania. Only a select few codfish reach Zambia, some winters in Pakistan and India. Oriental ducks migrate to the south of China.
Behavior traits
The teal cracker got its name thanks to the special cry of males. The sound of the ducks is reminiscent of a dry, rolling crer-krerer crackle. In everyday life, such a crackling sound can be obtained by brushing a comb over the teeth of a hairdressing salon. Male teal cracker make their unique sounds not only when they are on land or water, they also crack when they are in the air.
For females, such a voice is unusual, they are more silent, only sometimes you can hear their sonorous and high-pitched quacking.
The teal cracker is a migratory bird that migrates to the African tropics and the Asian southeast for the winter. At the same time, it forms flocks of rather large sizes, located in river deltas and in swamps. These ducks return later than other duck representatives, and fly away much earlier. Birds prefer open water bodies near meadows for nesting.
Crackers adapt well to captive conditions and are able to breed in zoos and bird nurseries.
Nutrition and breeding conditions
During the mating season and during the breeding season in the spring and summer, cracker ducks prefer to feed on mollusks, being more animal-eating. Their diet includes various insects and larvae living on the water (for example, water bugs, mosquitoes), small invertebrates, crustaceans. They can feast on fish fry and tadpoles. Among the plant food in the autumn-winter period, codfish include herb shoots and seeds, sedge, wild rice, and sorrel in the menu.
Teal cracker is monogamous, chooses one partner for breeding.
Cracklings reach sexual maturity by the age of one year, and in March they move to the nesting site in formed pairs. The drake begins mating courtship with swimming in circles around the female with its beak lowered into the water column and feathers tousled on its head, giving its unique voice.
The nest of cracker teal looks like a shallow hole at a distance of up to 150 m from the water, covered with thickets and tall grass. Inside, it is lined with dry wood and down. The oviposition of cracked teal usually contains up to 9 eggs of an elongated oval shape (sometimes it can be from 6 to 14), which the female incubates for 3 weeks. The hatched chicks stand on the wing and begin to fly after 40 days.