Post by Gord on Oct 11, 2005 13:19:24 GMT -8
Had a good opportunity to study two species that can be surprisingly tricky when not in breeding colours (or are hens!)
Out at good old Cheam Wetlands I found two blue-winged teal and a cinnamon teal feeding close together. To make it interesting, several northern shovelers were there too.
When they are together, you can see the difference in the 'warmth' of their colour. The blue-wings are a 'colder' grey-brown while I felt the cinnamon was a more 'warm' brown. Also, the blue-wings were more strongly patterned with a line through the eye while the cinnamon's patterns were a little fainter and eye line not well defined. Bill size also was surprisingly different, and the shovelers helped with the comparison. The cinnamon's bill was longer, and one could see how some field guides mention this. While not like the shoveler's, to me, it was more of a shoveler bill than a blue-winged.
Shovelers are bigger too when near the two teal species. Something that isnt very apparent when they are at different ends of the pond.
Out at good old Cheam Wetlands I found two blue-winged teal and a cinnamon teal feeding close together. To make it interesting, several northern shovelers were there too.
When they are together, you can see the difference in the 'warmth' of their colour. The blue-wings are a 'colder' grey-brown while I felt the cinnamon was a more 'warm' brown. Also, the blue-wings were more strongly patterned with a line through the eye while the cinnamon's patterns were a little fainter and eye line not well defined. Bill size also was surprisingly different, and the shovelers helped with the comparison. The cinnamon's bill was longer, and one could see how some field guides mention this. While not like the shoveler's, to me, it was more of a shoveler bill than a blue-winged.
Shovelers are bigger too when near the two teal species. Something that isnt very apparent when they are at different ends of the pond.