About the Blue-winged Teal
The blue-winged teal is a species of bird in the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. One of the smaller members of the dabbling duck group, it occurs in North America, where it breeds from southern Alaska to Nova Scotia, and south to northern Texas. It winters along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and south into the Caribbean islands and Central America.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The blue-winged teal is 40 cm (16 in) long, with a wingspan of 58 cm (23 in), and a weight of 370 g (13 oz). The adult male has a greyish blue head with a white facial crescent, a light brown body with a white patch near the rear and a black tail. The adult female is mottled brown, and has a whitish area at base of bill. Both sexes have sky-blue wing coverts, a green speculum, and yellow legs. They have two molts per year and a third molt in their first year. The call of the male is a short whistle; the female's call is a soft quack.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Blue-winged Teal sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in France, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, South Africa, Cape Verde.
When to see it
Peak activity in April · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanopteraThe adult male has a cinnamon-red head and body with a brown back, a red eye and a dark bill.
GarganeySpatula querquedulaThe adult male is unmistakable, with its brown head and breast with a broad white crescent over the eye.
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataThis species is unmistakable in the Northern Hemisphere due to its large, spatulated bill.
Side by side: Blue-winged Teal vs Northern Shoveler · Blue-winged Teal vs Cinnamon Teal · Blue-winged Teal vs Garganey
Learn the Blue-winged Teal for real
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