|
The eggs of Brown Teal are cream-tan in colour and for a
bird weighing only 500g a Brown Teal egg is by far the largest
of all teal eggs, equivalent to a massive eleven percent of
the female's weight and measuring a unique teal sized egg
of 58 x 43mm. The clutch size rarely exceeds five to six eggs
and the incubation period is 27-30 days. Juveniles fledge
at 55 days.
In the wild two clutches in a breeding season have been regularly
recorded from one pair of teal and this is undoubtedly one
of the reasons for moult irregularities. There is also considerable
inconsistency with the moulting period for both wild and captive
Brown Teal; many pairs will moult immediately after rearing
a brood, but others are much slower.
|
