Finally a bird name that describes the bird to a “T”, that is until they molt and loose their cinnamon coloration. Cinnamon Teal are monogamous staying with the same mate throughout the summer breeding season. Just before they fly, they perform a side-to-side head shake and sometimes lift both wings to prepare for their almost vertical takeoff, something all dabbling duck are able to do. It and the Ruddy Duck are the only two duck species to have both a North and South American population. Cinnamon Teal is a western species and is not found too far east of the Rocky Mountains unlike its very close relative, Blue-winged Teal. They are regular spring migrants on the Chico but males are one of the first ducks to migrate, leaving during summer months. In Colorado, they breed in the San Luis Valley.
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