The Blue-billed teal (Anas hottentota) is named for its blue bill. It is the smallest of the African ducks and one the smallest of all the waterfowl, weighing a mere 8 or 9 ounces. A dabbling duck native to Eastern and Southern Africa, males and females are very similar in size and colour, but the female is much lighter on her underside. Both have blue-grey feet, a black head, a brown spotted breast, and a bit of green on their wings. The Blue-billed teal eats by swimming with its bill in the water. It catches mostly insects and crustaceans this way. It also eats seeds and vegetation. Hottentot teals are sedentary in West Africa and Madagascar but partly migratory elsewhere. The Blue-billed teal lives in large flocks in the wild. It was formerly known as the Hottentot teal, but the word "Hottentot" is an offensive term for the Khoisan people.
