Green-winged Teal Identification

Male (American)

Small, blocky duck. Breeding males have a chestnut head with a green streak behind the eye and a vertical white stripe on the side.

Male (Eurasian)

Eurasian subspecies have a horizontal white stripe on the side as opposed to the vertical stripe on American subspecies.

Breeding male (American) with American Coot

Small, compact duck. At distance, the white vertical stripe at the shoulder (on males) and the creamy diagonal mark at the tail (on both sexes) are useful marks.

Female/immature male

Small duck with a blocky body. Females and nonbreeding males have a cream-colored stripe at the rear.

Male and female (American)

In flight both males and females have a green "speculum" patch in the wing.

Male (American)

Small duck with a blocky body. Breeding males have a chestnut head with a green stripe behind the eye and a vertical white stripe on the side. The undertail coverts are cream colored.

Female/immature male

Green speculums often hidden on resting birds, but are visible in flight.

Immature

Feeds in shallow bodies of water and in flooded fields. Breeds in dense vegetation along river deltas.

Male and female (Eurasian)

Male and female (American)

Wintering birds typically flock to shallow wetlands, including coastal marshes and bayous, estuaries, riparian sloughs, and agricultural areas such as rice fields.