Blue-winged Teal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blue-winged Teal | ||||||||||||||
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| Anas discors Linnaeus, 1766 |
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Querquedula discors |
The Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) is a small dabbling duck. Its placement in Anas is by no means certain; a member of the "blue-winged" group also including the shovelers, it may be better placed in Spatula. It is not a teal in the strict sense, and also does not seem closely related to the Garganey as was for some time believed. Indeed, its color pattern is strikingly reminiscent of the Australasian Shoveler.
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. Both sexes have a blue wing patch. In flight, they flap their wings especially rapidly.
Their breeding habitat is marshes and ponds throughout north and central North America. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground lined with grass and down, usually surrounded by vegetation.
They migrate in flocks to Central and South America. During migration, some birds may fly long distances over open ocean. 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 it's genetic make up to be almost identical to that of the Cinnamon teal.
These birds feed by dabbling in shallow water. They mainly eat plants; their diet may include molluscs and aquatic insects.
The call of the male is a short whistle; the female's call is a soft quack.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Anas discors. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
[edit] External links
- Blue-winged Teal at USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Blue-winged Teal at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Blue-winged Teal Information and Photos at South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Blue-winged Teal Information at eNature.com
- Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas
