North America's smallest dabbling duck. Males display chestnut head with iridescent green ear patch and a vertical white shoulder bar. Despite their tiny size, they're among the most abundant ducks on the continent.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The green-winged teal or American teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of North America except on the Aleutian Islands. It was considered conspecific with the Eurasian teal for some time, but the two have since been split into separate species. The American Ornithological Society continues to debate this determination; however, nearly all other authorities consider it distinct based on behavioral, morphological, and molecular evidence. The scientific name is from Latin Anas, "duck" and carolinensis, "of Carolina".
Source: Wikipedia — Green-winged teal Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Tiny, compact duck. Male has a chestnut head with a green eye swoosh, gray body, and a vertical white bar on the side; female small and mottled brown. Green wing patch (speculum).
Similar species. Other teal (Blue-winged, Cinnamon) show pale blue forewing patches; Green-winged is smaller with a green speculum and no blue forewing.
Voice. Male gives a clear, whistled 'preep'; female a sharp quack.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Varies by species: aquatic plants, seeds, invertebrates, fish.
Behavior. North America's smallest dabbling duck; springs straight up off the water in fast, twisting flocks. Feeds by dabbling in shallow mud for seeds and invertebrates.
§ Range
Breeds in Alaska, Canada, northern US; winters across south US into Central America
§ Habitat
Shallow wetlands, mudflats, flooded fields
§ Threats
Boreal wetland loss to development, lead shot ingestion, hunting pressure (regulated).
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the green-winged teal is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support boreal forest protection. Use non-toxic shot. Follow harvest regulations.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Green-winged teal
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Anas crecca
- IUCN Red List — search for Anas crecca
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Anas crecca
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
