sarcelle à ailes d'hiver Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon

The Eurasian teal favours shallow, nutrient-rich small water bodies and prefers bogs, ponds, slow-flowing rivers and densely vegetated banks of both fresh and brackish waters. For breeding it relies on dense bankside vegetation, where the female hides the nest in a shallow scrape on the ground. In Germany the species breeds mainly in the northern lowlands, with strongholds in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.

The teal is predominantly migratory, with partial migration in mild winters. Central European breeding birds winter mainly in western and south-western Europe, around the Mediterranean and in North Africa, while at the same time large numbers from northern and eastern Europe reach Central Europe as winter visitors. On wintering and stopover sites the species often forms sizeable flocks, rests during the day on undisturbed open water and feeds by dabbling in shallow water, frequently only at dusk and during the night.

For hunters the Eurasian teal is a classic dabbling duck encountered across DACH territories with suitable shallow waters and bog landscapes, and it is listed as a quarry species under hunting law. Its fast, erratic flight calls for very careful identification, because the species can easily be confused with the strictly protected Garganey. Responsible practice therefore means a restrained harvest, consistent sparing of hens accompanying ducklings, and consideration for sensitive resting and moulting waters. On the national German Red List of breeding birds the teal is classified as endangered, the main drivers being the loss and drainage of small wetland habitats.