Taxonomy/Description
The Green-winged
Teal is in the family Anatidae. The members of this family share adaptations
to life on the water including webbed feet, flattened bills, and
feathers with special oils to prevent water absorption. The word
teal is thought to have originated from the medieval English word,
tele, which means small. The Green-winged Teal is the smallest
of the dabbling ducks in the Americas. It is called the
Green-winged Teal because it has a green speculum on its wings. The Green-winged Teal is a
dichromatic species. This means that the male and female differ in
their coloration. The male has a cinnamon colored head with an
iridescent green patch from its eye to the back of its head. Its
body is gray and its chest is speckled. It also has a vertical
white line in front of its wing. The female Green-winged Teal is
mottled brown. Both the male and female of the species have a green
speculum and a narrow, black bill.
Habitat/Diet
The Green-winged
Teal can be found in shallow inland and coastal wetlands. It is
often found in water with dense tree cover, heavy aquatic
vegetation, and muddy bottoms. The Green-winged Teal can be found
throughout North and Central America during different times of the
year. It winters along the western coast of the United States as
well as the southern United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It
breeds in Alaska, Canada, and the northern United States including
Western New York. The Green-winged Teal is an opportunistic
feeder. This means that it will consume whatever animal or plant
species is in abundance. It eats a variety of different foods
including seeds, aquatic vegetation, insect larvae, aquatic insects,
small crustaceans, and mollusks.
Behavior/Reproduction
The Green-winged
Teal is a dabbling duck. This means that it feeds by inverting its
body on the surface of the water instead of diving. It is also an
agile flier and flying flocks often resemble waders with their rapid
maneuvering in the air. The Green-winged Teal is very social
outside the breeding season and will often form large flocks.
Predators of the Green-winged Teal include the Red fox, the Northern
Harrier, and the Peregrine Falcon. The Striped skunk, the
Black-billed Magpie, and the American Crow also prey upon
Green-winged Teal eggs.
The Green-winged Teal is generally a
monogamous species with breeding pairs forming each March on the
wintering grounds. Paired males try to force extra-pair copulation,
but unpaired males do not. The female selects and creates a nest
site with the male trailing behind her. The nest is a seven to
fifteen centimeter deep impression in the ground made by the
female’s feet. After laying the first egg, the female will use
surrounding vegetation to fill in the nest. After all of the eggs
are laid, the nest is filled in with down. The clutch is usually
6-9
eggs that are creamy
white to pale olive buff in color. The female provides the parental
care, but when hatched, the ducklings are able to swim, dive, walk,
and forage on their own.
Where to see them in WNY
The Green-winged
Teal can be found in WNY during the spring and fall migrations. It
is also possible to see it during the summer breeding season. Look
for the duck in shallow marshes or ponds that have some tree cover.
