Green-winged Teal - Photos by Bruce Dayton - Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)

ORDER: Anseriformes
FAMILY: Anatidae (Ducks and Geese - 52 Species)
SUB-FAMILY: Anatinae
SPECIES: Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)

Green-winged Teal
The Green-winged Teal is the smallest dabbling duck in the Americas. They are are rapid, agile flyers capable of quick turns.
SIZE	Small-sized (12-16") common and widespread dabbling duck.
DESCRIPTION	Male: He has a cinnamon colored head with a green patch around his eyes. The breeding male has gray flanks and back, with a yellow rear end and a white-edged green speculum, obvious in flight or at rest. Female: She has a brown head with dark brown cap and eye-line with a green ear patch. She has white near the base of the gray bill. Light-colored breast spotted with brown and whitish belly.
NESTING	Clutch size ranges from 6-10 eggs, which are incubated in 20 to 24 days. The nest is made in a depression in the ground near water. It is lined with grasses, leaves, weeds and down.
RANGE	Breeds throughout Alaska and Canada into the Maritime Provinces, southward to the Great Lakes area. They winters far south of their breeding range.
HABITAT	They habitat marshes, ponds, shallow inland wetlands, beaver ponds, with heavy vegetation and muddy bottoms.
DIET	It eats the seeds of pondweeds, bulrushes, grain and berries.

INTERESTING FACTS

Dabbling Duck

They feed mainly on water plants, which they obtain by tipping-up in shallows. They often forage near the shore for seeds and insects. They have a flat broad bill and float high in the water. Some of the more popular are the Black Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal and the Wigeon.

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The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit.




Green-winged Teal

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Seneca County, New York


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Green-winged Teal Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes