Taxonomy/Description
The Blue-winged
Teal is in the family Anatidae. This family is made up of ducks and
duck-like waterfowl. 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. This refers to the duck’s small
size. It is called the Blue-winged Teal because of a light blue
patch on its forewings. Its genus, Anas, means duck and its
species, discors, is based on the Latin for discourse
referring to the sound the animal makes. The Blue-winged Teal is a
dimorphic species. This means that the male and female differ in
their coloration. The male has a grayish blue head with a crescent
shaped white mark near its bill. It has a light brown, speckled
body, and a black tail. The female Blue-winged Teal is mottled
brown with a white patch near its bill. Both the male and female
Blue-winged Teal have a light blue patch on their forewings, a black
bill, and a green speculum.
Habitat/Diet
The Blue-winged
Teal can be found in lakes, ponds, and marshes. While nesting, it
is usually found in smaller bodies of water with grassland areas
nearby including ponds and prairie potholes. In the winter, the
Blue-winged Teal can be found along the southern coastlines of the
United States. On the Atlantic Coast, this includes areas from the
Carolinas southward. On the Pacific Coast, this includes areas from
California southward. It also winters in the Caribbean, Mexico,
Central America, and the northern portion of South America.
During
the breeding season, the Blue-winged Teal can be found from
southeastern Alaska to the Atlantic, throughout the Great Lakes, and
in the Great Plains as far south as Texas. The diet of the
Blue-winged Teal includes a variety of different foods such as
aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and aquatic plants.
Behavior/Reproduction
The Blue-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
agile on land and in the air. The Blue-winged Teal is a social bird
except when territories are established during the breeding season.
It is also aggressive throughout the year, with aggression
increasing during pair formation and in the breeding season.
The
Red fox, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Harrier, Great Horned Owl, and
occasionally the Bald Eagle prey upon the duck. The Striped Skunk,
Coyote, American Crow, and Black-billed Magpie also take eggs. In
response to a predator, the Blue-winged Teal will dive into the
water or feign injury. The Blue-winged Teal forms monogamous pairs
each year on the wintering grounds. While forced extra-pair
copulation does occur, it is less frequent than in other dabbling
ducks. When a pair arrives to the breeding ground, it quickly
establishes a territory and is very defensive of it. The female
Blue-winged Teal will select the nesting area with the male nearby.
Only the female will build the nest. The nest is a bowl-shaped hole
about 5.5 centimeters deep. It is filled with dried grasses and
down. The female will lay six to fourteen cream colored eggs. The
eggs are incubated for about twenty-four days. Once hatched the
brood leaves the nest with the female in the first twenty-four
hours. Females provide the parental care, but in some early-hatched
broods, the male will stay with the hatchlings and the hen for
several weeks. The female attends to early-hatched broods until
they can fly, but late-hatched broods are abandoned after three to
four weeks.
Where to find
them in WNY
The Blue-winged
Teal can be found in WNY during the breeding season, as well as
during spring and fall migration. Look for them in small ponds with
grassy areas nearby in the breeding season. In the spring and fall
migration, they can be found in any body of water, including the
marshes of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.