Spatula hottentota
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The blue-billed teal (Spatula hottentota), also sometimes called spotted teal and formerly Hottentot teal, is a species of dabbling duck of the genus Spatula. It is resident in eastern, southern, and western Africa, from Sudan and Ethiopia west to Niger and Nigeria, and south to South Africa and Namibia, and also in Madagascar. It is generally sedentary, but shows nomadic behaviour in response to water requirements, moving away if drought causes wetlands to dry out.
The blue-billed teal breeds year round, depending on rainfall, and stays in small groups or pairs. They build nests above water in tree stumps and use vegetation. Ducklings leave the nest soon after hatching, and the mother's parenting is limited to providing protection from predators and leading young to feeding areas. This species is omnivorous and prefers smaller shallow bodies of water.
The blue-billed teal is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The status of the blue-billed teal on the IUCN Red List is Least Concern. Several texts still refer to this species as the Hottentot teal, however, as the word "Hottentot" is an offensive term for the Khoisan people, there has been a movement to change the vernacular name. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 5 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 10 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 13 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 14 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 15 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 16 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 17 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 18 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Maputo | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 4 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 8 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Wildlands | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 11 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 12 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 16 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 19 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 21 | Le Cornelle | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 22 | River Wonders | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 23 | Reid Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 25 | Randers Tropical Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 26 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 27 | Domaine des Oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 28 | Snakeroom Serpentarium | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hottentot Teal sighting in Arusha National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 247th most-seen of the 373 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and April–May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hottentot Teal in Arusha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and June–December, the lowest months. Those are among Arusha National Park's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain a month against 65 mm in September.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hottentot Teal sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 18
Of the 18 parks where we can rate Hottentot Teal sightings, Arusha National Park ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 30%), Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 20%) and Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 20%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Hottentot Teal that you can see in Arusha National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Egyptian Goose (about 60%), Cape Teal (about 50%) and Southern Pochard (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hottentot Teal is recorded against all the birds logged in Arusha National Park (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
