A small, brown duck with pale blue shoulder patches. The male has a gray head and white crescent in front of the eye. The female is mottled brown. In flight, they flap their wings very rapidly and fly in compact flocks. The Blue-winged Teal breeds across Canada and the northern U.S. and migrates very early in the fall and very late in the spring. Only about 5% of the population winter in the U.S, while the remaining 95% migrate more south.
Wetland
During the summer months, blue-winged teal can be found throughout North America, from southeastern Alaska to the Atlantic coast. They are also found in the continental U.S. in the Great Plains as far south as the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. In the winter months they migrate southwards to the Carolinas, southern California, and New Mexico and into tropical South America.
Common
Diurnal
Eat a variety of aquatic invertebrates, including insects, crustaceans, snails, and small clams, aquatic vegetation and seeds.
Blue-winged teal are highly gregarious, tending to move in or form a group with others of the same species. The only time they are not social is during breeding season. Blue-winged teal migrate between wintering and breeding ranges each year. They are active during the day. Blue-winged teal can walk well on land and in shallow water.
Least Concern
