Teal is a name given to several species of small ducks that live throughout the world. Three species of teals—blue-winged, cinnamon, and green-winged—are common in North America. These teals nest near shallow lakes, ponds, and marshes in Canada and the northern United States. They usually eat the seeds of water plants, but blue-winged teals also eat some insects. Cinnamon teals migrate to Mexico and Central America to spend the winter. Most blue-winged teals migrate to northern South America, but some winter in Louisiana.
The blue-winged teal measures 15 to 16 inches (38 to 41 centimeters) long. It is mostly brown with large gray-blue patches on its wings. The male has a crescent-shaped white mark in front of each eye. The cinnamon teal is about 16 inches (41 centimeters) long. The male has red eyes, cinnamon-red feathers, and blue wing patches. The female is light brown and looks almost exactly like the female blue-winged teal.
The green-winged teal measures 13 to 15 inches (33 to 38 centimeters) long. The male has gray feathers with a speckled breast and a reddish-brown head with a green patch. The female is brown. Both the male and the female have a green patch along the edge of each wing.
Loading the player...Blue-winged teal
