Short abstract from the book: The teal is a rather rare breeding bird in Denmark with an
estimated population of 300 pairs; however, it is a very common passage migrant, resting and foraging in lakes and shallow costal waters during autumn. The first teal was ringed in
Denmark in 1907, and since then only the mallard and the
eider have been ringed in greater numbers. Most were ringed
in the late 1960s, mainly in duck decoys. The majority were
ringed in August–November, the period when many passage
migrants are in Denmark, and the proportion of Danish birds
in the material is probably small. The recoveries show that
the passage migrants come from Norway, Sweden, Finland,
the Baltic countries and northwest Russia. The first arrive in
late July and the majority in September–October. Some teals
stay at the same sites for one to two months, and some migrate
further SW relatively quickly. In October the mean position
is the German Wadden Sea and in November the southwest
Netherlands. During winter teals have been reported from a
rather large area, from Ireland and Scotland in the northwest
to Morocco and Bulgaria in the south and east. Most are
recovered in Great Britain and France. Forty-eight teals have
been reported from the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.
The mean position of young teals in their first winter is
northern France; the mean position of older birds is southern
England. The mean winter position of birds ringed in Jutland
is southern England and of birds ringed in eastern Denmark
northern France.
The spring migration happens rather quickly, and in April
the mean position is northeast of Denmark. Some of the teals
ringed in Denmark in autumn probably take a more direct
route across central Europe to the breeding sites in central
Russia.
A large proportion of the recovered birds have been shot, of
these 31 % in Denmark, 20 % in France, 13 % in England
and 7 % in Ireland
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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