Size: Length; 37cm. Weight; 190-360g.

Habitat and Distribution: Tropical swampy and forested areas in Bolivia and down through south Brazil, into northern Argentina and Uruguay.

Groups and Breeding: Ringed Teal nest in tree hollows and disused nests made by other birds. Females will lay 6 to12 eggs that take 23 to 29 days to hatch. Both the male and female take turns to incubate the eggs and care for the young. Young fledge at around 50 to 55 days but remain with their parents and follow them to winter feeding grounds.

Diet: These are omnivorous birds with a diet varying from vegetation, shoots and seeds through to insects and small fish.

• The Ringed Teal has claws on its feet to help it perch and move around in trees.
• Young follow the sound of their mother just a few days after hatching and plunge from the nest to the ground. They waterproof themselves by rubbing themselves against the abdominal feathers of their mother.
• Females will sometimes lay their eggs in the nests of other individuals to ensure that more of their offspring survive.
• Hunting is a popular sport in Brazil and special cannons have been designed to kill an entire flock of ducks with a single blast.
• Males of this species make the sound ‘mee owww’ and sound much like a cat.
• Roughly translated, their Latin name means "the beautiful duck with the spot on the wing"