The first formal description of the Baikal teal was by the German naturalist Johann Gottlieb Georgi in 1775 under the binomial name Anas formosa.

[6][7] The name Sibirionetta is derived from the Latin sibiricus for Siberia and the Ancient Greek nētta for a duck.

The breeding male is unmistakable, with a striking green nape, yellow and black auriculars, neck, and throat.

[9] The juvenile has a plumage similar to that of the female and can be distinguished from the Common Teal by the pale loral spot.

It is a migratory species, wintering in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, northern and eastern China, from Beijing down the coast to the Vietnam border, and west to Yunnan then north to Chongqing and Henan.