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| Wetlands & Waterfowl's Guide to North American Waterfowl: | |||
| Click to load: American Bittern American Widgeon Black- Crowned Night Heron Black Duck Blue-Winged Teal Canada Goose Canvasback Cattle Egret Common Egret Cinnamon Teal Gadwall Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green-Winged Teal Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Mallard Mute Swan Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Redhead Ring-Necked Snowy Egret Snow Goose Trumpeter Swan Wood Duck |
Blue-Winged Teal Scroll down for details  Scientific Name: Anas
discors Habitat: marshes and shallow ponds Appearance: 14-16" long. Small, with chalky blue patches on wings. Male: (Spring) Blue-grey head with white crescent on face. Male: (Winter) Grey-brown body with pale blue wing patches. Female: Grey-brown body with pale blue wing patches. Food: Aquatic plants, seeds, snails, insects Nesting: Nest is a down-lined hollow of grass, hidden in vegetation near water. Female lays 6-15 white or cream colored eggs and incubates for about 24 days. Young are downy, leave the nest soon after hatching and fly at about 6 weeks. |
The Blue-Winged Teal is a small, handsome duck that is known for its speed and agility in flight. It has an unusual way of feeding; unlike other dabbling ducks, the Bluewing doesn't usually tip up to feed, instead it skims the top surface of water for plant matter and small insects. The Blue-winged Teal is best recognized in the field for its small size and the crescent cheek markings of the male duck. Female Blue-winged Teal are difficult to distinguish from the female Green-wing and Cinnamon Teal. | |