Hottentot teal spotted in Plett
During the CWAC count, the land-based Team spotted a pair of Hottentot teals on the little dam where the Greater Painted Snipes were initially found.
I have been to see them twice now, and although they largely keep to the far side of the dam, they were still present a few days ago. This is my first sighting of these birds since I have been in Plett (now getting on for six years).
At a glance they can easily be overlooked as Red-billed Teals, as they also have a dark head, and they are quite small (33-36cm) compared to (43-48cm) for the Red-billed Teal. However, they have light blue-grey bills, which set them apart from any other Teal.
If you happen to see the feet, they are also blue-grey in colour! They are regarded as uncommon in our area, as the distribution maps of old, put this as the limit of their territory.
Well worth going to have a look at!
