Hottentot Teal look-alikes
Spatula hottentota
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Open the appSeveral birds can be mistaken for the Hottentot Teal. Compare the key differences below to confirm your sighting.
Birds to compare
Red-billed Teal
Anas erythrorhyncha
Key differences
The Red-billed Teal has a distinctive bright red bill, a dark cap, and white cheeks, but lacks the blue-grey bill and the finely barred flanks of the Hottentot Teal. Its body plumage is generally darker and less mottled.
Cape Teal
Anas capensis
Key differences
The Cape Teal has a pinkish-red bill, a pale head with a dark eye-stripe, and a greyish body with fine dark spotting. It lacks the distinct dark cap and pale cheeks of the Hottentot Teal.
Garganey
Spatula querquedula
Key differences
While also a 'Spatula' species, the Garganey (a Palearctic migrant that can occur in Africa) has a prominent white supercilium in males and a more mottled brown plumage in females, lacking the distinct dark cap and pale cheeks of the Hottentot Teal. The bill is grey, not blue-grey with a black tip.
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