English and Scientific names:	Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera)
Number of individuals:	3; 2 males and 1 female
Locality: LOUISIANA:	Cameron
Specific Locality:	Cameron Prairie NWR Wildlife Loop
Date(s) when observed:	March 20, 2010 (also, paired M and F seen by Conover, Myers, Patton on 3/28)(pair—presumed same—seen by Conover and Myers on 4/3)
Time(s) of day when observed:	Late morning on 3/28; afternoon on 4/3
Reporting observer and address:	Paul Conover Lafayette, LA
Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s):	Charlie Lyon (3/20) Mac Myers, Dave Patton (3/28) Mac Myers (4/3)
Other observers who independently identified the bird(s)	I think a few others saw the bird. Charlie mentioned that he and Kraig Ellzey had seen a Cinnamon Teal (I think) in the same spot a week or two before. Tom Finnie and Melvin Weber reported seeing at least some of the birds as well.
Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light):	Birds were to the NE; sun was overhead and right at about the equator as it was the spring equinox. Clouds passed over the sun intermittently but overall the light was bright.
Optical equipment:	Binoculars, Nikon Fieldscope III ED 20-60 zoom, Sony camcorder with 60x optical zoom in conjunction with scope.
Distance to bird(s):	about 100-150 yards
Duration of observation:	about 30 minutes
Habitat:	Shallow freshwater marsh. The birds were in last years’ dead emergent grass.
Behavior of bird:	Birds swam and tipped up to feed on the bottom frequently among the grass.
Description:	Drakes were straightforward male Cinnamon Teal. I looked for signs of hybridization and found none. Even, bright reddish color on head, neck, and underparts. No spotting of any kind noted on red of this area, nor were there any extra markings on the red of the face. Darker, almost blackish dorsal stripe the width of the crown running from base of bill through hindneck. Back seemed mottled, with paler feathers with darker internal markings (but overall a slight though noticeable contrast with red of body)(actually, in subsequent viewings, the straw and dark mantle seemed to either contrast noticeably or slightly depending on how much of the mantle was visible. At times only a sliver of mantle was visible from the side; at others, a wide slab of mantle could be seen. The more visible the mantle, the more contrast). Wingtips were blackish. Tail looked blackish as well—I know there should be pale there as well, but the birds were swimming and sleek and that was not visible. Long, pale scapulars showed up as thin stripes running longitudinally. Bill black, long, and spatulate. Eye red. The female was obviously a Cinnamon Teal, but I spent much more time studying her to look for markings to provide convincing proof of her identity. Female was identical in morphology to males. Overall, female was a warm, fairly even brown. Head and neck paler than rest of body but not strongly so. Sides of face were very plain brown, with no obvious streaking. Pale area at base of bill extremely limited in comparison to female Blue-winged Teal. Like male, female had a darker dorsal stripe the width of the crown running from bill base through crown to hindneck; this stripe appeared dark brown. Bill black, long, and spatulate as in male, with fairly straight culmen. With neck straight up as bird swam, bill stuck out at a downward angle. Eyes dark. Legs bright yellow, contrasting strongly with body. Body feathering below on underparts and flanks with little contrast between internal markings and fringes. As the duck tipped downward, the warm brown of her undertail and vent were obvious; this color was largely concolorous with remainder of bird’s underparts, and I think this might provide a point of separation between hens of BWTE and CITE. Wings slightly darker than rest of bird. Female was clearly paired with one of the drakes. Both drakes were aggressive towards BWTE that approached too closely.
Voice:	Not noted.
Similar species:	BWTE and BWTE X CITE the only real contenders. Males; BWTE X CITE: I looked for signs of hybridization but no markings that were inconsistent with pure CITE were seen. The previous weekend, I had been given a good demonstration of skins of this hybrid pair and noted the areas where mixed markings occurred. None of these areas were affected on these birds. Female; BWTE: Morphology, especially of bill, consistent with CITE and identical to associated males. Bland face pattern, overall color consistent with female CITE and strongly different from female BWTE. I also viewed the vent and undertail color of this bird to nearby BWTE females on 4/3 to test the idea that CITE females have less marked, browner color in this area. BWTE seemed to be paler, whitish, speckled. The CITE, as I recall from 4/20, was warmer brown and less speckled if it all. Regardless of exact markings, the areas seemed to differ.
Photographs or tape recordings obtained?	Video from which poor but adequate stills were taken.
Previous experience with this species:	Occasional in LA, and on increasingly distant trips out west.
Identification aids:
This description is written from:	Memory the next day.
Are you positive of your identification? If not, explain:	Yes.
Date and time:	March 21, 2010