Blue-billed Teal
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0

Ducks, Swans, and Geese

Blue-billed Teal

Spatula hottentota

LCLeast Concern
Family
Ducks, Swans, and Geese (Anatidae)
Order
Anseriformes

Overview

The blue-billed teal (Spatula hottentota), also sometimes called spotted teal and formerly Hottentot teal, is a species of dabbling duck of the genus Spatula. It is resident in eastern, southern, and western Africa, from Sudan and Ethiopia west to Niger and Nigeria, and south to South Africa and Namibia, and also in Madagascar. It is generally sedentary, but shows nomadic behaviour in response to water requirements, moving away if drought causes wetlands to dry out.
The blue-billed teal breeds year round, depending on rainfall, and stays in small groups or pairs.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Local in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.