Description
Green-winged teal
are the smallest of our North American ducks. Males have a chestnut head with an
iridescent green to purple patch extending from the eyes to the nape of the neck. The
chest is pinkish-brown with black speckles, and the back, sides, and flanks are
vermiculated gray, separated from the chest by a white bar. The undertail coverts are buff
on the outside and black in the center, and the uppertail coverts are black. The wing
coverts are brownish-gray with a green speculum. Female green-winged teal are mottled
brown with a dark brown line that extends from the bill through the eye. Females have
black speckles on their blue-black bill which distinguishes them from males' solid black
bill.
Average length:
M 14?", F 14"
Average weight:
M 0.7 lbs., F 0.6 lbs.
Migrating and Wintering
Green-winged teal
have an extensive wintering range, with birds having been recorded as far north as Alaska
and Newfoundland and as far south as northern South America. They are most abundant along
the Mississippi flyway, where the coastal marshes and rice fields of Louisiana and Texas
provide ideal habitat. Tidal creeks and marshes associated with estuaries are favored over
more saline or open-water habitats, especially when they include mud-flats for foraging.
Breeding
Green-winged teal
breed from Alaska across Canada into the Maritime Provinces, south into central
California, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. They are among the most
abundant dabbling ducks on Arctic breeding grounds. They prefer small and shallow
permanent ponds near woodlands, and with an abundance of emergent vegetation. |
