Brown teal
| Brown teal | |
|---|---|
| A brown teal on Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Anas |
| Species: | A. chlorotis |
| Binomial name | |
| Anas chlorotis Gray, 1845 | |
| Distribution map of the brown teal:
Current wild remnant populations
Probable original distribution where the brown teal is extinct
Reintroduced established populations in wild areas | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Anas aucklandica chlorotis Elasmonetta chlorotis | |
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The brown teal (Anas chlorotis; Māori: pāteke) is a species of dabbling duck of the genus Anas native to New Zealand. For many years it had been considered to be conspecific with the flightless Auckland and Campbell teals in Anas aucklandica; the name "brown teal" has also been largely applied to that entire taxon. Common in the early years of European colonisation, the "brown duck" (as it had been often referred to) was heavily harvested as a food source. Its numbers quickly fell, especially in the South Island, and in 1921 they became fully protected. Captive breeding and releasing into predator-controlled areas has seen good localised populations re-introduced around the country in recent years.