The Sunda teal, also known as the Bebek cokelat or Itik benjut, is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The species formerly included the Andaman teal Anas albogularis and the grey teal, Anas gracilis as subspecies, but is currently considered monotypic.
Region
Maritime Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs across the Greater Sundas (Sumatra, Java, Borneo) and Sulawesi, extending east through the Lesser Sundas to Timor, including Timor-Leste. It inhabits shallow lakes, marshes, floodplains, mangroves, coastal lagoons, and rice fields. Birds readily use artificial wetlands and seasonally flooded fields. Local movements track rainfall and water availability, and they may shift between freshwater and brackish sites.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Sunda teal is a small dabbling duck native to the Sunda Islands of Indonesia and Timor-Leste. It frequents rice paddies and shallow wetlands, often forming loose flocks outside the breeding season. The species was once lumped with the grey teal and Andaman teal but is now treated as monotypic. It adapts well to both freshwater and brackish habitats and moves locally with changing water levels.
Temperament
wary but moderately social
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with swift, direct flight
Social Behavior
Outside breeding, it gathers in small to medium flocks, especially where water and food concentrate. Pairs form in the wet season; nesting is typically on the ground in dense vegetation near water, with a well-concealed scrape lined with down. Adults are attentive and may lead ducklings to shallow foraging areas soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are soft and unobtrusive; females give quack-like calls, especially in contact and alarm. Males produce thinner whistles and peeps during courtship and in flight.
Plumage
Overall warm brown to dusky brown body with fine mottling and scalloping; paler face and throat with slightly darker crown and nape. Upperwing shows a glossy green speculum edged with pale bars. Underparts are mottled, with slightly paler belly.
Diet
Feeds by dabbling and upending on seeds of aquatic plants, grasses, and rice, along with algae. Also takes aquatic invertebrates such as insects, crustaceans, and small mollusks, especially during breeding when protein needs are higher. Forages opportunistically in both freshwater and brackish systems.
Preferred Environment
Shallow margins of wetlands, flooded fields, and quiet backwaters with emergent vegetation. Frequently uses rice paddies, mangrove edges, and calm coastal lagoons where cover and food are abundant.
