Blue-winged Teal

Male
Photo by David Roach
Photographed at Wakodahatchee

Anas discors

Identification

L. 14-16" (36-41 cm)

• Small brown duck
• Pale blue shoulder patches.

Male

• Gray head
• White crescent in front of eye

Female

• Mottled brown, similar to female Cinnamon Teal, but with obscure patterning on face
• Grayer and larger billed than female Green-winged, with pale blue shoulder patches like male.

Female
Photo by bobsofpa
Eco Pond, Everglades National Park, Florida, USA, April 2008

Distribution

Breeds from southeastern Alaska and western Canada to Canadian Maritimes and south to northeastern California, New Mexico, and New York.

Winters from southern California, southern Texas, and the Carolinas southward through tropical America.

Vagrants are record in the British Isles annually, but some may have escaped from wildfowl collections.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Subspecies orphna is generally considered invalid^[2].

Habitat

Marshes, shallow ponds, and lakes.

Behaviour

Photo by richard bledsoe
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, March 2005

These birds fly in small groups or flocks.

Breeding

The female incubates the 9-12 dull white eggs in a down-lined hollow concealed in grass near water. The male guards.

Vocalisation

Soft lisping or peeping note. Female utters a soft quack.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. eNature
4. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-winged Teal. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-winged_Teal

External Links

Search for photos of Blue-winged Teal in the gallery