Green-winged Teal (2 Viewers)

[jeff]

Today at Brandon Marsh (warwickshire) there was/is a male green-winged teal, there was a female with him, is the female a eurasian teal or is it a green-winged teal.

Is there any difference between eurasian and green winged females?

How can you tell? What gives them away.

Attached, not a great picture, i can attach worse if you like though ;-)

Cheers

Jeff

 

[stevo]

Hi Jeff

According to the info I have it states,Female green winged teal inseperable from Eurasian teal although green winged tend to have crown & eye-stripe darker than the nominate race.The info also states that in eurasian teal(female their is a lot of variation in plumage).Hope this helps

Regards Steve.

 

[jeff]

Hi Jeff

According to the info I have it states,Female green winged teal inseperable from Eurasian teal although green winged tend to have crown & eye-stripe darker than the nominate race.The info also states that in eurasian teal(female their is a lot of variation in plumage).Hope this helps

Regards Steve.

Steve,

Thanks for the info. So in truth there's no way to say for sure ;-)

Cheers

Jeff

 

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Jeff,

That's right, no way to tell females for certain.

There's two drake G-w Teals in Northumbs at the moment as well, both paired with female teals of one or the other race/species (but on simple probabilities, likely to be Common Teal), so maybe there'll be quite a few interesting birds knocking around next winter . . .

Personally, I don't think that G-w Teal should ever have been split from Common Teal

Michael

 

[Jane Turner]

Personally, I don't think that G-w Teal should ever have been split from Common Teal

Michael

Only beaten by hooded crow as a futille split... (On a par with Mealy redpoll)

 

[Michael Frankis]

Only beaten by hooded crow as a futille split... (On a par with Mealy redpoll)

Agreed on the Hoodies - but the Mealy / Lesser Redpoll split is very sensible, at least until they get round to lumping Arctic with them!

Michael

 

[Ben Dickinson]

I'm no expert, but it does seem a tad silly to split G-W Teal and Eurasian Teal as seperate species, if the females of both species are inseperable in the field!

 

[godwit]

"I'm no expert, but it does seem a tad silly to split G-W Teal and Eurasian Teal as seperate species, if the females of both species are inseperable in the field!"

Why?

Dave

 

[mountain man]

"I'm no expert, but it does seem a tad silly to split G-W Teal and Eurasian Teal as seperate species, if the females of both species are inseperable in the field!"

Why?

Dave

True. You'd have to lump all the Empidonax flycatchers if the same criteria was applied.

Not to mention Iberian Chiffchaffs......

 

[Michael Frankis]

But there's no evidence that the teals give a damn which female they're paired up with, whereas the Empidonax flycatchers presumably do

Michael

 

[godwit]

There's even less evidence that Pine Buntings and Yellowhammers give a damn which partners they pair up with either so they should be lumped too presumably...and what about Black-eared and Pied Wheatears etc...

Dave

 

[Fulmar]

Yeah, let's talk about Scottish Crossbills o

Peter

 

[HH75]

Hi all,
Green-winged Teal females also tend to have a more cinnamon-toned greater covert bar(the leading edge of the speculum),also a stronger eyestripe/supercilium(though far weaker than that shown by Garganey or BW Teal) and a darker bill(usually all dark).
Could possibly pick out a good candidate here,but would never be able to prove it(for a start,seeing as how obvious 'hybrid' males turn up*,then what would hybrid females look like?)
Harry

* It is possible,however,that such males are,in fact,'pure' examples of either species that show some markings of the other species as a sort of 'throwback'?This is unlikely,but surely not impossible?

 

[alcedo.atthis]

"That's right, no way to tell females for certain."

Michael, there is a comment in Kevin Bakers book (BTO guide 24) Referring to Green-wingeed Teal. "Non-breeding (females) and juvinile plumages indistinguishable from nominate race.
There are also comments from American birders regarding the "face patch" being a distuingishing feature of the female Green-winged Teal in comparison to the Eurasian. "Dark bar through cheek of female indicates American Green-winged Teal."

Audubon mentions the number of tail feathers being different in each of the above. (A bird in the hand is easier, yes, I know!!)

"Personally, I don't think that G-w Teal should ever have been split from Common Teal"

In the states, the 2 were classed as seperate, but when both species males were seen courting with the same female and hybrids were being reported, the two forms were united into a single species in 1973. Since then, technology has marched on, DNA has proved they are different species, but with one common haplotype been found in both species, there may have been a common origin.


Regards

Malky @ Westhill