Blue-winged Teal

The Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) is a small, highly migratory dabbling duck native to North America. Known for its agile, rapid flight and distinctive plumage, it is one of the most abundant duck species on the continent. During the breeding season, males are easily recognized by their striking facial markings, while both sexes display a brilliant baby-blue patch on the upper wing. As one of the earliest waterfowl species to migrate in autumn, they travel long distances, often wintering as far south as Central and South America.

Key Field Marks

• Male (Breeding): Features a slate-blue head with a prominent, white vertical crescent between the eye and the bill. The body is a warm, pinkish-brown covered in dark spots, ending in a black rear border accented by a bright white flank patch.
• Female & Immature: Cryptically colored mottled brown overall, with a dark crown, dark eye-line, and a characteristic pale spot at the base of the bill.
• In Flight: Both sexes reveal a vibrant, sky-blue patch on the forewing coverts, separated from a green speculum by a thin white stripe.

Similar Species

• Cinnamon Teal: Females of these two species are nearly identical. Cinnamon Teal females tend to have a larger, longer, and more spade-shaped bill, a warmer overall reddish-brown tone, and less contrasting facial markings compared to the colder-toned, more patterned Blue-winged Teal female.
• Green-winged Teal: Noticeably smaller. Breeding males look completely different, featuring a chestnut head with a green mask. Females lack the baby-blue shoulder patch, have a brighter green speculum, and show bright buffy-yellow undertail patches.

Habitat & Ecology

Blue-winged Teals prefer shallow, calm bodies of freshwater with abundant emergent vegetation. Their favored environments include prairie pothole marshes, shallow ponds, lakes, sluggish creeks, agricultural wetlands, and flooded fields.

Range and Migration

These ducks have an expansive breeding range stretching across the northern Great Plains, Canadian prairies, and Great Lakes regions. They are highly sensitive to cold weather and are among the earliest ducks to migrate south in late summer or early autumn. Their wintering grounds cover the southern United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America down to Peru and Brazil.

Feeding Behavior

As dabbling ducks, Blue-winged Teals feed by skimming the water's surface or tipping head-down to reach submerged food. They filter fine particles from mud and shallow water using specialized lamellae (comb-like structures) along the edges of their bills. Their diet consists of aquatic insects, snails, crustaceans, and the seeds, leaves, and stems of aquatic plants.

Nesting & Breeding

Nesting begins in late spring. Females select a site in dense upland grasses, often quite far from water. They scrape a shallow bowl in the ground, lining it with dry grass and down feathers plucked from their own breasts. A typical clutch contains 8 to 11 creamy-white eggs, incubated solely by the female for about 21 to 23 days.

Vocalization and Flight

In flight, flocks fly in tight, fast-moving groups that twist and turn in unison.

• Male Call: A soft, high-pitched, whistled peep or tseee repeated in rapid succession.
• Female Call: A high-pitched, raspy, or nasal quack used to communicate with ducklings or warn of danger.