Family ANATID.E. Genus Anas. 



Subfamily Ana tinm. 



COMMON TEAL. 



ANAS CRECCA— Zz«««zzj-. 



Geographical Distribution. — British: Common resident, 

 and breeds in all suitable localities throughout the British Islands, 

 but becomes more abundant in the northern districts. The 

 residents are largely increased in number during autumn, not 

 only by birds passing our islands on passage, but by individuals 

 that remain all the winter. Frequents the coasts during winter 

 as well as inland swamps and waters. Foreign: Palaearctic 

 region, more southerly in winter ; Oriental region in winter. 

 Summer visitor to and breeds in Iceland. Breeds throughout 

 Arctic Europe and Asia as far north as lat. 70°, but south of the 

 Arctic Circle (lat. 66|°) it becomes more local and rare. South 

 of that limit, however, it breeds in the Azores and Madeira, very 

 sparingly in South Europe, but more freely in Holland, Denmark, 

 Germany, and Southern Scandinavia. During winter it is gene- 

 rally distributed throughout the more temperate and southern 

 portions of Europe, and Northern Africa, as far south as the 

 Canaries in the west, and Abyssinia in the east. It also winters 

 in considerable numbers in the basins of the Black and Caspian 

 Seas. The Asiatic birds pass through Turkestan, Mongolia, and 

 the Amoor valley on migration (a few remaining to breed), and 

 winter in Persia, India, Ceylon, Burma^ China, and Japan. 

 This Teal has been known to stray across Behring Strait into 

 Alaska, where it has been captured in June ; whilst on the east 

 of America it occasionally visits Greenland, and the eastern 

 coasts between Labrador and North Carolina. 



Allied Forms. — Anas carolinensis, the Nearctic representa- 



