Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal

Taxobox
name = Blue-winged Teal
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1


image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Anseriformes
familia = Anatidae
genus = "Anas" (disputed)
species = "A. discors"
binomial = "Anas discors"
binomial_authority = Linnaeus, 1766
synonyms ="Querquedula discors"
"Spatula discors" (but see text)

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.

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

External links

* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i1400id.html Blue-winged Teal] at USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Blue-winged_Teal.html Blue-winged Teal] at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* [http://www.sdakotabirds.com/species/blue_winged_teal_info.htm Blue-winged Teal Information and Photos] at South Dakota Birds and Birding
* [http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BD0394 Blue-winged Teal Information] at eNature.com
* [http://www.massaudubon.org/birdatlas/index.php?search=yes&id=49 Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • blue-winged teal — ☆ blue winged teal [blo͞o′wiŋd΄ ] n. a small North American duck (Anas discors) found on ponds and rivers …   English World dictionary

  • blue-winged teal — noun American teal • Syn: ↑bluewing, ↑Anas discors • Hypernyms: ↑teal * * * noun : an American teal (Anas discors) resembling the green winged teal but having blue wing coverts and a large white crescent on each cheek * * * /blooh w …   Useful english dictionary

  • blue-winged teal — mėlynsparnė kryklė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Anas discors; Spatula discors angl. blue winged teal vok. Blauflügelente, f rus. голубокрылый чирок, m pranc. sarcelle soucrourou, f ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • blue-winged teal — noun Date: 1789 a North American dabbling duck (Anas discors) with a blue patch on each wing and in the male a white crescent on each cheek …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • blue-winged teal — /blooh wingd / a small duck, Anas discors, inhabiting ponds and rivers of North America, having a dull brown mottled body and grayish blue patches on the wings. [1630 40] * * * …   Universalium

  • blue-winged teal — /ˌblu wɪŋd ˈtil/ (say .blooh wingd teel) noun a small pond and river duck, Anas discors, of North America, with greyish blue patches on the wings …  

  • Blue-winged — may refer to:* Blue winged Goose, large sheldgoose * Blue winged Kookaburra, bird of Australia * Blue winged Leafbird, leafbird of Southeast Asia * Blue winged Macaw, a specie of bird from South America * Blue winged Teal, small dabbling duck *… …   Wikipedia

  • Green-winged Teal — male A pair, male in nuptial plumage at rear …   Wikipedia

  • Teal — (t[=e]l), n. [OE. tele; akin to D. teling a generation, production, teal, telen to breed, produce, and E. till to cultivate. The English word probably once meant, a brood or flock. See {Till} to cultivate.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of several species… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Teal duck — Teal Teal (t[=e]l), n. [OE. tele; akin to D. teling a generation, production, teal, telen to breed, produce, and E. till to cultivate. The English word probably once meant, a brood or flock. See {Till} to cultivate.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of several …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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