General

Blue-winged Teal: Small dabbling duck with purple-gray head and distinct white crescent on face. Upperparts are scaled buff and dark brown; underparts are pale brown with numerous dark spots. Wings have green speculum and pale blue shoulder patch visible in flight. Female has no purple on head, shows white at base of bill, has has scaled instead of spotted underparts. Juvenile resembles female but lacks white at base of bill; eclipse male retains much of the white crescent.

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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and Feeding

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

Vocalization

Blue-winged Teal: Utters a high whistled "tsee tsee."

Similar Species

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