| Andaman teal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration by Keulemans (1908) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Anas |
| Species: | A. albogularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Anas albogularis (Hume, 1873) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Mareca albogularisHume, 1873 Contents | |
The Andaman teal (Anas albogularis) is a species of duck endemic to the Andaman archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. The species was formerly considered as a subspecies of the Sunda teal.
The first formal description of the Andaman teal was by the English ornithologist Allan Octavian Hume in 1873 under the binomial name Mareca albogularis. [3] It is now placed with many other dabbling ducks in the genus Anas . [4] It was formerly considered as a subspecies of the Sunda teal (Anas gibberifrons) that is found in Indonesia. [4]
The species is dark brown with buffy markings. The face and throat are pale with a white ring around the eye. The bill is bluish grey and the iris is red. [5]
Andaman teals are endemic to the Andaman Islands (India) and Great Coco Island (Burma). They are found in inland pools as well as mangroves and lagoons. [6] [7] A population estimate of 500 to 600 individuals was made in a survey conducted in 1995–98, and 674 were counted in 2005. [8] Their population has been on the increase for the last few decades, and was most recently estimated in 2014 to have slightly more than 1,000 individuals. [1]
They feed at night in rice fields. The breeding season is July to October and nests in reed patches. The nest is made of grass and about nine eggs forms the clutch. [9] They were formerly considered to breed in tree hollows but recent studies found no evidence. They feed mainly on molluscs and arthropods. [8]
The gadwall is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae.
Hume's leaf warbler or Hume's warbler is a small leaf warbler which breeds in the mountains of inner Asia. This warbler is migratory and winters mainly in India.
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The cotton pygmy goose or cotton teal is a small perching duck which breeds in Asia, Southeast Asia extending south and east to Queensland where they are sometimes called white-quilled pygmy goose. They are among the smallest waterfowl in the world and are found in small to large waterbodies with good aquatic vegetation. They are usually seen in pairs or larger groups of pairs, roosting and nesting on trees near water. They are strong fliers and are known to disperse widely, especially in winter. Their breeding season coincides with the rains.
The lesser whistling duck, also known as Indian whistling duck or lesser whistling teal, is a species of whistling duck that breeds in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal feeders that during the day may be found in flocks around lakes and wet paddy fields. They can perch on trees and sometimes build their nest in the hollow of a tree. This brown and long-necked duck has broad wings that are visible in flight and produces a loud two-note wheezy call. It has a chestnut rump, differentiating it from its larger relative, the fulvous whistling duck, which has a creamy white rump.
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The yellow-billed babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka. The yellow-billed babbler is a common resident breeding bird in Sri Lanka and southern India. Its habitat is scrub, cultivation and garden land. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight and is usually seen calling and foraging in groups. It is often mistaken for the jungle babbler, whose range overlaps in parts of southern India, although it has a distinctive call and tends to be found in more vegetated habitats. Its name is also confused with Turdoides leucocephala, which is also known as white-headed babbler.
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