Green-winged Teal

Green-winged Teal, male

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Green-winged Teal, female

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Other Names
4. Cool Facts
5. Full detailed species account

A very small, brightly patterned duck, the Green-winged Teal prefers shallow ponds with lots of emergent vegetation. Along the coast, it prefers tidal creeks, mudflats, and marshes to more open water.

Description

• Small duck.
• Iridescent green patch in wings, with white stripe in front.
• Yellowish tail stripe.
• Male with white stripe up shoulder, dark reddish and green head.

• Size: 31-39 cm (12-15 in)
• Wingspan: 52-59 cm (20-23 in)
• Weight: 140-500 g (4.94-17.65 ounces)

Sex Differences

Breeding male boldly patterned with gray and reddish; female dull mottled brown.

Sound

Male gives single-noted whistle. Female gives shrill quack.

Other Names

Sarcell d'hiver (French)
Cerceta común (Spanish)
Teal (British), Common Teal (English)

Cool Facts

• The American and Eurasian forms of the Green-winged Teal were formerly considered different species. The Eurasian teal differ from the American by lacking the vertical white shoulder stripe and having a horizontal white stripe along the back instead. Eurasian teal show up casually each year along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

Sources used to construct this page:

1. Bellrose, F. C. 1976. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA.
2. Johnson, K. 1995. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca). In The Birds of North America, No. 193 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.