Species

Blue-winged teal

Spatula discors

A small dabbling duck with a pale blue wing patch, among the first ducks to arrive in autumn and the last to leave in spring.

Photo Frank Schulenburg (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Migration

At a glance

Size: About 36 to 41 cm long
Weight: About 280 to 500 g
Habitat: Shallow marshes, ponds, flooded fields and coastal impoundments
Diet: Seeds, aquatic plants, snails and insects
In Georgia: A common migrant in spring and autumn; some winter on the coast
Voice: Males give a thin, whistled peep; females quack softly
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Grey-blue head with a white crescent in front of the eye; speckled brown body; white patch near the tail
Female: Mottled brown with a dark eye-line and a pale spot at the base of the bill
In flight: A large powder-blue patch on the forewing
Told apart from: Green-winged teal, which is smaller with a green wing patch and no blue
Told apart from: Northern shoveler, which shares the blue wing patch but has a huge spatulate bill
Where to look: Shallow edges of marshes and flooded fields, especially in September and March

Behaviour

Blue-winged teal feed at the surface of shallow water, dabbling and sweeping their bills for seeds and small animals. They are fast, twisting fliers, and small flocks move in tight formation.

They migrate earlier in autumn and later in spring than most ducks, and many winter as far south as South America.

Why they matter

Blue-winged teal are among the most numerous ducks in North America, and they depend on the small prairie potholes and shallow wetlands that are easily drained. Their long migrations link the wetlands of the northern plains with those of the Gulf Coast and South America, and Georgia's marshes are one of the refuelling stops.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A grass-lined bowl hidden in tall grass near water, mostly on the northern prairies
Eggs — Usually 8 to 11
Incubation — About 23 to 24 days
Ducklings — Leave the nest within a day, feed themselves, guarded by the female
Flight — At about six to seven weeks
Lifespan — Usually a few years

Living around people

Shallow flooded fields and impoundments give migrating teal food and rest.
Lead shot and lost fishing tackle in wetlands poison dabbling ducks that sift the bottom.

Misconceptions

All teal are the same. Blue-winged and green-winged teal are different species with different seasons and ranges.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	A few winter in coastal marshes	Migrants begin returning	Peak spring migration	Migrants passing north	Last birds leave for northern breeding grounds	Nesting in the northern prairies	Adults moult	First autumn migrants arrive	Peak autumn migration	Migration continues	Most have passed through	A few remain on the coast

Where it lives

Recorded in 83 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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