[3] The grey teal nests near its favoured freshwater lakes and marshes, usually on the ground, but also in tree holes or rabbit burrows.

Adult grey teal, Anas gracilis, undergo a flightless moult that is not fixed in the year.

Before breeding season mature birds, both male and female, will undergo a body moult that excludes the wings.

[5] If we have to draw a tendency we could say that body moult (including wings) generally occurs between the months of January to March when it is late summer or early winter.

[3] Juveniles will undergo a complete moult of the entire body other than the wings, occurring in the first autumn or early winter.

Widespread throughout its large range, the grey teal is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

[1] The grey teal can be found as a breeding species in the following places across the globe; Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and Indonesia.

[8] It was rare in New Zealand until the 1950s when several natural events in Australia led to a huge increase in numbers.

[9] However, there are areas where the species are more concentrated (larger populations) such as the districts of Hawke's Bay, Waikato, South Auckland and Otago.

[8] Preference for shallower waters means that it is easier for ducklings to be able to swim and eat,[11] which aids the rearing and survival of juveniles.

[2] When establishing a pair-bond, male grey teal will perform a series of displays; some of these include headshakes and head rolls.

[3] This is because grey teal pair-bonds are long term and monogamous,[4] which means they keep the same mate through multiple seasons.

[7] Females will create a bowl in the ground that they proceed to fill with litter found around the site as well as surrounding the nest/bowl with down.

[3] If a pair loses a brood (amount of chicks hatched at the same time) they will then begin to lay again only after a few weeks.

[3] After hatching, parents and broods may remain close to each other for a number of weeks; once the young gains flight it then becomes independent.

[4] For migratory birds living in stable temperate areas, day length and temperature bring migration about by triggering hormonal changes.

[6] In this type of environment birds have to be able to detect resourceful locations and relocate, meaning they have to move all year round and do not have a migration season.

[6] Thus, Roshier, D., Asmus, M., from Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Australia and Klassen, M., from the Department of Plant-Animal interaction Netherlands Institute, Netherlands, led a study about the long-distance movements of grey teal in Australia.

So, according to Roshier, D., Asmus, M., and Klassen, M., there are two types of movements: ranging – “a search for a place to feed or breed that should stop when the resources being sought are encountered”[14] – and directed.

[6] Thus, grey teal disperse widely throughout the Australian continent due to adaption to environmental change such as flooding, extensive dry periods or lack of food.

[6] This process is carried out to seek their preferred environment of shallow wetlands with sufficient food supply and suitable breeding conditions.

[14] As well as this, it is believed that the grey teal uses its sense of smell to move and find suitable wetland environments.

[14] Information from tracked grey teal reveals that some flight movements were due to distant thunderstorms occurring.

[14] These thunderstorms were hundreds of kilometres away; however, due to their production of low-frequency sound, grey teal could detect this occurrence and move towards the source.

Mills on the morality and status of grey teal in New Zealand, approximate survival rates were established.

[8] Similar results were shown in an Australian study where the mean average of deaths for adults was 52%, and for juveniles 66%.

[4] Therefore hunters and duck shooters are a significant predator of these birds; whereas in New Zealand the grey teal is a protected species.

[10][18] According to John Dyer, northern Wildlife Manager, Auckland Waikato Fish and Game Council, this decision caused some troubles between the Department of Conservation and the hunters that felt “misled for decades”.

Yet, it is difficult for hunters not to shoot grey teal as it is numerous and often be seen flying among huge flocks of game ducks.

[18] A survey conducted in Victoria on hunting grey teal revealed a significant number of injured birds.