Sunda Teal Anas gibberifrons Scientific name definitions

37–47 cm; male 300–450 g, female 360–455 g (1 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); wingspan 60–67 cm. Uniform grey with indistinct scaling or mottling formed by pale fringes to feathers , head faintly streaked, noticeably darker on crown and paler over face, chin and upper throat spotted creamy white, breast obviously spotted, wings dark brown with prominent white wedge along leading edge of black speculum and narrow white tips to trailing edge, oval patch of bronze-green on inner speculum, brown underwing with black-brown leading edge, white axillaries and central coverts; bill blue-grey, darker on culmen ridge, legs and feet dull grey, and eyes bright crimson  . Protuberance on forehead variable, but usually larger in male. Male lacks eclipse plumage. Female slightly smaller perhaps with duller iris. Juvenile paler than female, especially on head and neck, and eyes dull brown. For differences from A. gracilis (mainly Australia) and A. albogularis (Andaman Is), both of which were formerly regarded as subspecies of the present species, see those species.

S Sumatra, SE Borneo, Sulawesi, Java, Bali and Lesser Sundas E to Timor and Wetar.

Highly adaptable to all types of wetlands , with shallow, fresh, brackish or saline waters; often on temporarily flooded areas, and coastal lagoons. Also found on rivers , with large concentrations sometimes recorded in mangrove swamps and has been observed on sea (2 Indrawan, M., S. Somadikarta, J. Supriatna, M. D. Bruce, Sunarto, and G. Djanubudiman (2006). The birds of the Togian Islands, central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Forktail 22:7–22. Close ).

Mostly sedentary, but is not known to definitely breed in S Sumatra (3 Young, H.G. (1996). Grey teals in Asia. Bull. Oriental Bird Club. 24: 54–57. Close ) (though reported to do so) (4 Holmes, D. A. (1996). Sumatra Bird Report. Kukila 8(1):9–56. Close ) or in Kalimantan (Borneo), where just six records and species might only be a vagrant (5 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ).

No known differences from A. gracilis, but almost no published data concerning diet and foraging strategies .

Vocalizations  very poorly described, although not suspected to differ significantly from A. gracilis (or A. castanea) (1 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Season appears to be virtually unknown, although recently fledged juveniles have been observed on Timor in Feb (1 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 6 Trainor, C. R. (2011). The waterbirds and coastal seabirds of Timor-Leste: new site records clarifying residence status, distribution and taxonomy. Forktail 27:63–72. Close ). In single pairs or loose groups; nest-site apparently undescribed, although probably not very different from A. gracilis. Probably 7–8 cream-coloured eggs (like A. gracilis), size 44·4–54 mm × 33·4–38·8 mm (1 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); incubation c. 26–30 days by female alone; chicks have dark brown above, almost black on cap, brown on face and breast, and white below, with dark grey bare parts (7 Young, H.G. and Brayshaw, M. (2004). The downy young of grey teal (Anatidae) with first descriptions of the ducklings of Madagascar Teal Anas bernieri and Indonesian Teal A. gibberifrons. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 124(1): 62–68. Close ); fledging c. 7–8 weeks, and broods sometimes remain with both adults for several additional weeks (1 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Nothing else known.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Appears locally common but has not been found in large concentrations, with exception of c. 500 on L Be Malae, Timor, in Jun 2005 (6 Trainor, C. R. (2011). The waterbirds and coastal seabirds of Timor-Leste: new site records clarifying residence status, distribution and taxonomy. Forktail 27:63–72. Close ). Numbers have increased in Sabah in recent years (8 Bakewell, D. and Kudus, M.R. (2017). An update on the work of the Malaysian Nature Society–Bird Conservation Council Records Committee (MNS-BCC RC) and recent changes in the status of birds in Malaysia. BirdingASIA. 28: 23–38. Close ). Widely hunted in Indonesia, while widespread deforestation and other habitat modification probably represent additional threats (1 Kear, J., Editor (2005). Ducks, Geese and Swans. Volume 1: General chapters, and Species accounts (Anhima to Salvadorina). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Captive population at Jersey Zoo (7 Young, H.G. and Brayshaw, M. (2004). The downy young of grey teal (Anatidae) with first descriptions of the ducklings of Madagascar Teal Anas bernieri and Indonesian Teal A. gibberifrons. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 124(1): 62–68. Close ).