Hello, everyone! Today, let’s talk about the Baikal teal, a visitor that appears in Japan with the arrival of winter. As the cold season sets in, these birds come to visit us.
The Baikal teal is a small duck, measuring about 37 to 43 cm in length. Its most striking feature is the vivid pattern on the male’s face. This beautiful pattern is depicted in yellowish-white, green, and black. The sight of the male’s shoulder feathers fluttering in the wind is also quite picturesque.
The females are more subdued, primarily brown, but the white spots at the base of their beaks are a charming feature. While not as flashy as the males, there is a quiet beauty in them too.
After breeding in Eastern Siberia, the Baikal teal migrates to East Asia, including Japan, with the onset of winter. They are commonly seen along the Sea of Japan side of Honshu and further south, making them winter visitors also visible in the Kanto region and westward.
The Baikal teal is omnivorous, mainly feeding on plants. They prefer seeds and aquatic plants, but they also eat insects and crustaceans. They often move in groups, sometimes forming flocks of more than 500 birds.
However, a concern is that the Baikal teal is classified as an endangered species. Recently, however, the number of birds overwintering has been increasing. In places like Inbanuma in Chiba Prefecture and Shinji Lake in Shimane Prefecture, flocks of several thousand, and sometimes tens of thousands, have been observed overwintering.
If you happen to see a Baikal teal, why not stop for a moment and enjoy its beauty? The sight of these birds might just soothe the chill of winter! Until next time.
