Green-Winged Teal

Description: The green-winged teal is the smallest of all North American puddle ducks. The drake has a rusty chestnut head with a green eye patch bordered in white running to the back of its head and down the neck. It has a green speculum, a flecked brown chest, and a white belly. The back and sides are gray with a white bar in front of its wings. The hen is mottled brown with a white underside and a green speculum. Both drakes and hens have brownish-gray legs and dark gray bills. Average size: 13-15 inches. Average weight: ½-1 pound.

Science: The green-winged teal’s breeding range includes most of Alaska and Canada, as well as the prairie pothole region of the United States. Migration begins in the late fall, when they fly at night in small flocks of only a hundred or so birds. They prefer prairie grasslands with marshes and ponds. Green-winged teal winter in most of the southern US states, the Pacific Northwest, most of Mexico, and some parts of the Rocky Mountains and the east coastal states. They may be found around coastal estuaries and bays, where they feed in mud flats bordering wetlands and eat the seeds of moist soil plants and aquatic plants. As green-winged teal are drought-tolerant, their population is increasing.

Hunting: Due to their erratic flight patterns and small, tight flocks, green-winged teal can be challenging to shoot. They are usually taken incidentally by hunters seeking other puddle ducks. Specific calls and decoys are available. Drakes are vocal, loud, and emit a peeping noise. Green-winged teal are excellent birds for eating, as the meat is tender and mild.