Teals are small dabbling ducks. Males have chestnut coloured heads with broad green eye-patches, a spotted chest, grey lower sides and a black edged yellow tail. Females are mottled brown. Both show bright green wing patches (speculum) in flight. They are thinly distributed as a breeding species with a preference for northern moors and mires. In winter, birds gather in low-lying wetland in the south and west of the UK. Of these, many are continental birds from around the Baltic and Siberia. At this time, the UK is home to a significant percentage of the north-west European wintering population making it an Amber List species.