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Blue-winged Teal
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Common Name:Blue-winged Teal
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family:Anatidae
Genus:Anas
Species:Anas discors
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Photo: M. Noonan |
TAXONOMY
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. The Blue-winged Teal is a
dichromatic species. 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
During the
breeding season the Blue-winged Teal can be found smaller bodies of
water with grassland areas nearby including ponds and prairie
potholes. 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. In the winter, the
Blue-winged Teal can be found along the southern coastlines of the
United States. It also winters in the Caribbean, Mexico,
Central America, and the northern portion of South America.
Photo: M. Noonan
BEHAVIOR
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. 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 to protect their nest or young. The Blue-winged Teal forms monogamous pairs
each year on the wintering grounds. 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 made with dried grass and downy feathers. The female will lay 6-14 cream colored eggs
which will be incubated for about 24 days. Once hatched, the
brood leaves the nest with the female in the first twenty-four
hours. Females provide most of 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
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.
Photo: M. Noonan
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