Hottentot teal in exhibit

Blue-billed Teal

Scientific Name
Spatula hottentota
Geographic Range
Sub-Saharan Africa
Diet
Seeds, fruit, and other vegetation (sometimes aquatic invertebrates when abundant)
Hottentot teal in exhibit Endangered Status Graph - Least Concern Endangered Status Graph - Least Concern

About This Animal

Blue-billed teals are one of the smallest species of waterfowl in the world. They are called blue-billed teals because of the color of their bills. These ducks are generally covered in light brown feathers, with darker brown plumage on the breast, the top of the head, and wings, which are tipped with bluish-green.

This coloration provides camouflage in the freshwater marshes, swamps, lakes, and even semi-arid habitats where they live. Southern and eastern African blue-billed teals migrate for short distances, but West African and Madagascar-based populations do not.

These ducks are active mostly at dusk and dawn, and they are somewhat social. They live in small groups and breed in single pairs throughout the year. They usually build nests in hidden areas above water, such as partially-submerged trees. Their incubation period is 12 to 22 days.

Blue-billed teals have a large range (all of sub-Saharan Africa minus the Congo River basin and the Kalahari desert) and face no immediate threats in the wild. However, their populations are decreasing due to hunting and habitat degradation caused by activities that convert wetlands into agricultural areas.

Animal Care staff working with seal

Commitment to Care

Lincoln Park Zoo prioritizes individual well-being over everything else. Guided by scientific research, staff and volunteers work to provide the best welfare outcomes for each individual in the zoo’s care.

Learn More

Support Your Zoo

Two Chilean flamingos in exhibit

Animals Depend On People Too

When you ADOPT an animal, you support world-class animal care by helping to provide specially formulated diets, new habitat elements, and regular veterinary checkups.

Adopt an Animal

Asian small-clawed otter in exhibit

Wish List

The Wish List is full of one-of-a-kind items for the zoo’s animals, including nutritious snacks and enrichment items to keep them active and healthy.

Browse the Wish List

African penguin eating a fish

Take Action With Us

Wildlife face many daunting challenges—some global, like planet-wide climate change, and some that affect individuals, like an animal ingesting plastic—but now is not the time to despair. None of these problems are too big for us to come together and solve.

Take Action

00:00
00:00
Empty Playlist