Anas discors

Description

The breeding male blue-winged teal has a brown body with black spots, a dark gray head with a white crescent in front of his eyes, and a white patch on his hip. The female is a brown duck with a white patch that stretches from her throat to the base of her bill to make a slight crescent. The nonbreeding male looks like the female. Both sexes have a blue wing patch that you can see when their wings are open or folded.

Voice

The male blue-winged teal has a whistled "peew" call and the female's call is a nasal "quack."

Breeding

November to June

Habitat

These dabbling ducks like marshes and ponds.

Diet

The blue-winged teal eats seeds, water plants, snails, crustaceans, and insects.

Range

You can find this duck in Canada and the midwest and extreme north of the United States during the summer and along the coast in the wintertime. It is in VT and NH when it migrates.

Other Useful Information

These are social birds and like to stay in small groups.

Similar Species

The female green-winged teal is very similar to the female blue-winged teal, but the green-winged is smaller, has a cream patch on her tail, and does not have a white throat patch. She also has gray feet, while the blue-winged teal has yellow feet.