Puna Teals
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The Puna Teal (Anas puna) is a dabbling duck that was previously treated as a subspecies of the Silver Teal.
Distribution / Range
The Puna Teals occur naturally in the Andes of Peru, western Bolivia, northern Chile and extreme northwestern Argentina.
They are found on the larger lakes and pools in the altiplano in west-central South America.
Description
The Puna Teal measures about 19 inches in length.
The back, chest and lower flanks are light brown with dark brown spotting. They have a black cap that extends to below the eyes. Their lower face and neck are whitish.
The bill is a distinctive light blue with a black line down the middle.
Diet / Feeding:
Ducks generally feed on larvae and pupae often found under rocks, as well as aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails and crabs.
Feeding Ducks ...
We all enjoy ducks and many of us offer them food to encourage them to come over and stay around - and it works! Who doesn't like an easy meal!
However, the foods that we traditionally feed them at local ponds are utterly unsuitable for them and are likely to cause health problems down the road. Also, there may be local laws against feeding this species of bird - so it's best to check on that rather than facing consequences at a later stage.
Please note that feeding ducks and geese makes them dependent on humans for food, which can result in starvation and possibly death when those feedings stop. If you decide to feed them, please limit the quantity to make sure that they maintain their natural ability to forage for food themselves - providing, of course, that natural food sources are available.
- Click here to find out which foods to feed them that will offer the nutrition they need to survive a cold winter and remain healthy
High Quality Species Photos, Videos and/or Articles Contributions are welcome! Click here to upload articles and images.
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