Green-winged Teal - Water Birds Series

Description

The male green-winged teal is a beautiful and easily recognized bird. He has an orange or chestnut-colored head with a prominent green stripe extending from the eye to the neck, and connecting with the other side of the face. The bill is broad and grayish. The body is mottled grayish with a spotted breast, white stripe on the side, iridescent green wing patch, yellowish wedge-shaped patch under the tail and brownish or grayish wings and back. The female is mostly light brown with the green wing patches. At 12-15 inches in length, the green-winged teal is the smallest of the dabbling ducks, and one of the fastest-flying of all ducks. The average green-winged teal weighs a little less than one pound.

The green-winged teal nests in May or June. Females lay up to a dozen eggs in a nest, often hundreds of feet from the water.

Diet

The green-winged teal feeds on small fish, aquatic insects, crustaceans, seeds, and aquatic plants.

Range and Habitat

The green-winged teal breeds throughout Canada , including its Arctic regions, much of the western United States , and in parts of the upper-midwest including the Dakotas and Minnesota . Smaller breeding populations exist in the Great Lakes regions, upstate New York , and New England . The teal migrates through the interior of the United States and winters along the coasts, most of the southern United States , the West Indies, and in most of Mexico. The green-winged teal breeds in ponds, lakes, bogs, and marshes. During migration, they are found in similar habitats, often in large flocks or in mixed flocks with blue-winged teals.

Status

Green-winged Teal populations are stable and increasing.