The Andean teal ( Anas andium) is a species of duck. Like other , it belongs to the diverse genus Anas; more precisely it is one of the "true" teals of subgenus Nettion.[Carboneras (1992), Johnson & Sorenson (1999), Johnson et al. (2000)] It is restricted to the Andean highlands of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. It inhabits freshwater , preferring palustrine habitat to . It is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
Taxonomy
Mitochondrial DNA
DNA sequence data is most similar to that of the very different-looking green-winged teal.
[Johnson & Sorenson (1999); see there for a discussion of the crecca-carolinensis-flavirostris group's phylogeny.] Apart from the mystifying relationship with the red-and-green-headed teals, it altogether most resembles the
Indian Ocean radiation of teals.
Traditionally, there are 2 subspecies:
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Mérida teal, Anas andium altipetens (Conover, 1941) – highlands of north-west Venezuela and adjacent parts of Colombia.
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nominate, Anas andium andium (Philip Sclater & Osbert Salvin, 1873) - highlands of Colombia and Ecuador.
This species and the yellow-billed teal are sometimes considered conspecific under the name speckled teal ( A. flavirostris), but increasingly taxonomists treat the two as distinct species. When split, the scientific name A. flavirostris is restricted to the yellow-billed teal.[Van Remsen (2008)]
Andean teal (Anas andium andium) males in flight Chingaza.jpg| A. a. andium males, Mina de Palacio,
Andean teal (Anas andium andium) males in flight Chingaza 2.jpg|Chingaza National Natural Park, Colombia
Footnotes
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Accordi, Iury Almeida & Barcellos, André (2006): Composição da avifauna em oito áreas úmidas da Bacia Hidrográfica do Lago Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul Bird. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 14(2): 101-115 Portuguese. PDf fulltext
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Carboneras, Carles (1992): 77. Speckled Teal. In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.): Handbook of Birds of the World (Vol.1: Ostrich to Ducks): 603, plate 45. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
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Johnson, Kevin P. & Sorenson, Michael D. (1999): Phylogeny and biogeography of dabbling ducks (genus Anas): a comparison of molecular and morphological evidence. Auk 116(3): 792–805. DjVu fulltext PDF fulltext
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Van Remsen (2008) Treat Anas andium as a separate species from Anas flavirostris. South American Classification Committee. Accessed 27-04-2008
