Yellow-billed Teal

Yellow-billed Teal
Sharp-winged Teal, A. f. oxyptera
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anatinae
Genus:	Anas
Species:	A. flavirostris
Binomial name
Anas flavirostris Vieillot, 1816
Subspecies
2, see text

The Yellow-billed Teal (Anas flavirostris) is a South American species of duck. Like other teals, it belongs to the diverse genus Anas; more precisely it is one of the "true" teals of subgenus Nettion.^[1] It occurs in Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Brazil. It has also established itself in South Georgia, where it was first recorded breeding in 1971. It inhabits freshwater wetlands, preferring palustrine habitat to rivers. Considering its wide range and local abundance, it is not considered threatened by the IUCN.^[2]

Taxonomy

Mitochondrial DNA sequence data is most similar to that of the very different-looking Green-winged Teal.^[3] Apart from the mystifying relationship with the red-and-green-headed teals, it altogether most resembles the Indian Ocean radiation of teals. But the Yellow-billed Teal's unicolored underside and namesake bill are unique, as is to be expected from a species that evolved half a world apart from Bernier's or the Grey Teal.^[4]

This species is also unique among its relatives in some aspects of its post-copulation behavior: After dismounting, the drakes stretch themselves up high and swim around and alongside the females.^[5]

Traditionally, there are 2 subspecies:

• Sharp-winged Teal, Anas flavirostris oxyptera (Meyen, 1834) – highlands of central Peru to northern Chile and Argentina.
• Chilean Teal, Anas flavirostris flavirostris (Vieillot, 1816) – southern South America as far north as southern Brazil and northern Argentina. Also in the Falkland Islands.

Previously, this species and the Andean Teal formed the superspecies Speckled Teal, but increasingly taxonomists consider the two species distinct.^[6]

Footnotes

1. ^ Carboneras (1992), Johnson & Sorenson (1999), Johnson et al. (2000)
2. ^ Accordi & Barcellos (2006), BLI (2008)
3. ^ Johnson & Sorenson (1999); see there for a discussion of the crecca-carolinensis-flavirostris group's phylogeny.
4. ^ Carboneras (1992)
5. ^ Johnson et al. (2000)
6. ^ Van Remsen (2008)

References

• Accordi, Iury Almeida & Barcellos, André (2006): Composição da avifauna em oito áreas úmidas da Bacia Hidrográfica do Lago Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul [Bird composition and conservation in eight wetlands of the hidrographic basin of Guaíba lake, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil]. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 14(2): 101-115 [Portuguese with English abstract]. PDf fulltext
• BirdLife International (2011). "Anas flavirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/181372. Retrieved 18 September 2011. 
• Carboneras, Carles (1992): 77. Speckled Teal. In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.): Handbook of Birds of the World (Vol.1: Ostrich to Ducks): 603, plate 45. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-10-5
• Johnson, Kevin P. & Sorenson, Michael D. (1999): Phylogeny and biogeography of dabbling ducks (genus Anas): a comparison of molecular and morphological evidence. Auk 116(3): 792–805. DjVu fulltext PDF fulltext
• Johnson, Kevin P. McKinney, Frank; Wilson, Robert & Sorenson, Michael D. (2000): The evolution of postcopulatory displays in dabbling ducks (Anatini): a phylogenetic perspective. Animal Behaviour 59(5): 953–963 PDF fulltext
• Van Remsen (2008) Treat Anas andium as a separate species from Anas flavirostris. South American Classification Committee. Accessed 27-04-2008