The Sunda teal (''Anas gibberifrons''), also known as the Bebek cokelat or Itik benjut, is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The species formerly included the

Andaman teal The Andaman teal (''Anas albogularis'') is a species of duck endemic to the Andaman archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. The species was formerly considered as a subspecies of the Sunda teal. Taxonomy The first formal description of the Andaman ...

''Anas albogularis'' and the grey teal, ''Anas gracilis'' as subspecies, but is currently considered

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

. A molecular phylogentic study published in 2009 that compared mitochondrial DNA sequences from ducks, geese and swans in the family

Anatidae The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating ...

found that the Sunda teal is a

sister species In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

of the chestnut teal (''Anas castanea'') native to Australia. This is a mottled brown

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

with white and green flashes on its wings. The male and female Sunda teal share the same colouration, in contrast to the related chestnut teal, whose male and female are strikingly different. The nominate Sunda teal has almost identical colouration to the female chestnut teal and can only be distinguished by its lighter coloured neck, paler face and especially the bulging forehead. The Andaman teal has a variable amount of white on the forehead and around the eyes. The Rennell Island teal looked like a smaller version of the nominate subspecies, with a stubbier bill. Juveniles are paler than adults, especially on the head. The Sunda teal nests near its favoured freshwater lakes and marshes, usually on the ground, but also in tree holes or rabbit burrows. This is a vocal duck, especially at night. The male gives a soft ''peep'', and the female has a loud quack.

References

* ''Wildfowl'' by Madge and Burn,

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q281978 Sunda teal Sunda teal Birds of Indonesia Sunda teal