Date: 10/12/26 6:36 pm From: Lola Ross <lolabones...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] Help with teal ID
Hello all,
This duck was seen at Elkhorn Ranch pond on the festival field trip
Saturday. The more exposed photos are mine; the more saturated photo is
Dana Cox’s. We are torn between cinnamon teal and blue-winged teal. Merlin
photo ID has given both ID’s (2 and 2 for these four shots).
Dana is leaning toward cinnamon due to the thickness of the bill and its
dark color. I can also see the bird seems to have a warmer tone to its
feathers, which might indicate cinnamon. The things that make me hesitate
in calling it cinnamon are the length of the bill, which to my eyes looks a
little shorter and less shoveler-like than I think of with cinnamon teal,
and the darker eyeline. It does seem to have less white behind the bill,
though, which also might indicate cinnamon teal.
I think in typing this out I’m convincing myself it’s a cinnamon teal, but
I would love others’ thoughts. (Full disclosure: I also really want it to
be blue-winged teal because I don’t have one for Monterey County yet, lol).
