Brown Teal (Anas chlorotis)

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Image of a Brown Teal in its natural habitat
Birds Teal

Introduction

The Brown Teal, or pāteke, is a small dabbling duck endemic to New Zealand. Its accepted scientific name is Anas chlorotis. Once widespread across the country, it is now restricted mainly to northern North Island, Great Barrier Island, and selected reintroduction and predator-controlled sites. The species remains vulnerable to introduced predators, habitat loss and disturbance, although conservation programmes have helped some populations increase.

Physical Description

Brown Teals are compact, dark-plumaged ducks measuring about 48 cm in length. Males weigh approximately 650 g and females about 580 g, although individual size varies.

Both sexes have predominantly brown plumage, a conspicuous white eye-ring, dark brown eyes, and dark grey to blackish bills, legs and feet. The wings show a green speculum, which is most noticeable when the bird is in flight or stretching its wings.

Breeding males are more strongly patterned than females. They develop a subtle green iridescence on the head, a dark chestnut breast, barred light and dark brown flanks, and often a narrow pale neck ring and whitish patch near the tail base. Females and juveniles are more uniformly dull brown and heavily mottled, providing useful camouflage in dense vegetation. Males outside the breeding season become less distinctive.

Range and Habitat

Brown Teals are endemic to New Zealand and do not undertake long-distance migration. They were formerly widespread in lowland wetlands throughout the mainland and on several offshore islands. They also occurred on Stewart Island until 1972 and on the Chatham Islands until about 1925.

The remaining strongholds are in Northland, Great Barrier Island, Little Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula. Reintroduced populations occur at several predator-free islands, fenced sanctuaries and mainland sites where sustained predator control is undertaken. These include locations in the Wellington region, the Bay of Islands, the Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Abel Tasman and Fiordland.

Historically, Brown Teals used a wide range of habitats, including wet forest, swamps, slow-flowing streams, lakes and estuaries. Today they are often associated with lowland agricultural landscapes containing stock ponds, damp pasture, riparian vegetation, wetlands and forest remnants. Dense rushes, sedges, grasses and ferns near open water provide important nesting, roosting and escape cover. Some birds also feed in tidal creeks and estuaries, particularly on Great Barrier Island.

Behaviour and Diet

Brown Teals are generally crepuscular or nocturnal, especially in agricultural and forested habitats. At coastal sites, their activity is also influenced by the tides, and they may feed more actively during low tide. They are capable of flight but usually make short, direct flights between feeding, nesting and roosting areas rather than undertaking regular migratory movements.

Pairs are monogamous and strongly territorial during the breeding season. At other times, Brown Teals may gather in traditional roosting or flocking sites, particularly when seasonal drying reduces the availability of suitable feeding habitat. Some pairs maintain territories throughout the year, while others move seasonally and return after autumn rains restore water levels.

Brown Teals are versatile omnivores. Their diet includes aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, seeds, fruits, plant leaves, fungi and plant detritus. Recorded food items include sedge seeds, clover, insect larvae, beetles, caterpillars, moths, earthworms, snails, freshwater molluscs, crustaceans and polychaete worms. In intertidal areas, they dabble in soft sediments and can extract flesh from cockles and small mussels.

Breeding usually peaks from July to September, although broods have been recorded during much of the year. The nest is normally concealed in a dry hollow deep within a clump of rushes, grass or fern near water. A clutch usually contains five or six pale fawn eggs, with a recorded range of three to nine. The female incubates the eggs for about 28 days. Ducklings are precocial, and both parents guard the brood until the young fledge at approximately 50 to 55 days.

Identification Tips

  • Look for a small, dark brown dabbling duck with a clearly visible white eye-ring.
  • The bill, legs and feet are dark grey or blackish, and the eyes are dark brown rather than bright red.
  • A breeding male has a greenish head, chestnut breast and barred brown flanks, while the female and juvenile are more uniformly mottled brown.
  • Brown Teals often keep their wings folded high across the back and may appear darker and more compact than other small ducks.
  • Grey Teals and vagrant Chestnut Teals can be confused with Brown Teals. Both usually show more obvious pale wing patches, paler underwings and red eyes.
  • The flightless Auckland Island and Campbell Island Teals are smaller, have much shorter wings and lack the brighter breeding plumage of a male Brown Teal. They occur in different island groups.

Conservation Status

The Brown Teal is listed globally as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. In New Zealand, it is classified as Nationally Increasing under the national conservation-status system. The Department of Conservation estimated that approximately 2,000 to 2,500 Brown Teals were living in the wild in 2022, although population estimates remain subject to uncertainty.

The principal threats are predation by introduced mammals, habitat loss and deterioration, disturbance, hunting, road mortality, reduced food availability during dry conditions, and competition or hybridisation with Mallards where Brown Teal populations are small. Great Barrier Island remains an important stronghold, but settlement growth and domestic pets create additional risks there.

Conservation measures include intensive predator control, predator-proof fencing, wetland and riparian restoration, protection of flocking and nesting sites, monitoring, public education, captive breeding and the release of birds into suitable protected habitats. These actions have established or strengthened populations at several offshore islands, fenced sanctuaries and mainland sites. Continued management is necessary because gains can be quickly reversed if predator control or habitat protection declines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the Brown Teal live?

The Brown Teal lives only in New Zealand. Its main remaining populations are in Northland, Great Barrier Island, Little Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula, with additional reintroduced populations at protected sites elsewhere.

Is the Brown Teal endangered?

The Brown Teal is classified globally as Near Threatened by the IUCN. New Zealand classifies it as Nationally Increasing, reflecting recovery efforts, but the species remains vulnerable and dependent on effective predator control and habitat protection.

What does the Brown Teal eat?

It eats a varied omnivorous diet that includes invertebrates, seeds, fruits, wetland vegetation, fungi, snails, freshwater molluscs and small marine shellfish. Its feeding habitats include wetlands, pasture, streams, forest margins and tidal areas.

When does the Brown Teal breed?

Breeding usually peaks between July and September, although nesting and broods have been recorded in many other months. The female incubates a typical clutch of five or six eggs for about 28 days.

How can a Brown Teal be identified?

The most useful field marks are its small size, dark brown plumage, prominent white eye-ring, dark eyes and dark bill. Breeding males show a greenish head and chestnut breast, while females and juveniles are more uniformly mottled brown.

What is being done to protect the Brown Teal?

Protection efforts include introduced-predator control, predator-proof sanctuaries, wetland restoration, population monitoring, captive breeding and releases into suitable protected habitats. Public awareness is also important because the species is fully protected and can be mistaken for other ducks.

References

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