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Blue-winged Teal

Anas discorsOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Codes: Common Name: BWTE Scientific Name: ANADIS ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175086
Least Concern
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Blue-winged Teal: The male Blue-winged Teal has a violet-gray head with a white crescent on each side of the face. The upperparts are scaled brown and underparts are buff with spotting. The legs are pale yellow and the bill is dark gray.
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Overview

Blue-winged Teal: Small dabbling duck, purple-gray head, distinct white crescent on face. Upperparts are scaled buff, dark brown; underparts are pale brown with numerous dark spots. Wings have green speculum, pale blue shoulder patch visible in flight. Fast direct flight with steady wing beats.


Range and Habitat

Blue-winged Teal: Breeds in northern prairies and parklands of central North America and spends winters from Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and northeastern Brazil. Preferred nesting habitats include wetland areas within grasslands, such as marshes, ponds, and lakes. Winter habitats are mostly swamps and shallow wetlands.

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Topo Map: Duck-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tsee tsee"

Interesting Facts

 Blue-winged Teals have the highest annual mortality rate (reaching 65%) of all the dabbling ducks, possibly as a result of hunting and long over-ocean migration.

 They are occasional vagrants to Europe, where their yellow legs are a distinction from other small ducks like Common Teal and Garganey. DNA analysis of this species has revealed its genetic make up to be almost identical to that of the Cinnamon teal.

 They are more vocal than most ducks—their high-pitched peeping and nasal quacking is commonly heard in spring and to a lesser extent in fall.

 A group of teal has many collective nouns, including a "coil", "dopping", "knob", "paddling", and "spring" of teal.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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Range Map for Blue-winged Teal

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Family Surface-feeding Duck (Anatidae)_blue
Species Anas discors
Length15 - 17 Inches
Wingspan27 Inches

Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal: Small dabbling duck, purple-gray head, distinct white crescent on face. Upperparts are scaled buff, dark brown; underparts are pale brown with numerous dark spots. Wings have green speculum, pale blue shoulder patch visible in flight. Fast direct flight with steady wing beats.

● Song: "tsee tsee"

● Foraging & Feeding: Blue-winged Teal: Diet includes aquatic invertebrates, aquatic vegetation, and seeds; forages in shallow water and mudflats.

● Breeding & nesting: Blue-winged Teal: Six to fifteen white to olive eggs are laid in a ground hollow filled with grass and weeds and lined with down. Nest is built by the female and usually hidden in tall grass near water. Incubation ranges from 22 to 27 days and is carried out by the female. Young fly in 35 to 49 days.

● Similar species: Blue-winged Teal: Adult male is unmistakable; immature and eclipse male resemble female.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with steady quick wing beats.
Blue-winged Teal: Male
● Range & Habitat: Blue-winged Teal: Breeds in northern prairies and parklands of central North America and spends winters from Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and northeastern Brazil. Preferred nesting habitats include wetland areas within grasslands, such as marshes, ponds, and lakes. Winter habitats are mostly swamps and shallow wetlands.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationCommon in the East, Uncommon in the West
MigrationMigratory
Weight14.4 Ounces
Duck-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
ShoulderX
The short feathers overlying the median secondary coverts on the top of the wing. They are located near the back and can be seen as the “first row” of feathers on the birds wing. They are also called marginal coverts and lesser secondary coverts.
SpeculumX
The brightly colored area on the wing (secondaries of the wing) on several duck species.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX