Blue-winged Teal Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small dabbling duck, a Blue-winged Teal is dwarfed by a Mallard and only a touch larger than a Green-winged Teal. Head is rounded and bill is on the large side.

  Relative Size

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 14.2-16.1 in (36-41 cm)
    • Weight: 8.1-19.2 oz (230-545 g)
    • Wingspan: 22.1-24.4 in (56-62 cm)

  © Dave Spier / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Breeding males are brown-bodied with dark speckling on the breast, slaty-blue head with a white crescent behind the bill, and a small white flank patch in front of their black rear. Females and eclipse males are a cold, patterned brown. In flight, they reveal a bold powder-blue patch on their upperwing coverts.

• Behavior

  Pairs and small groups dabble and up-end to reach submerged vegetation. You'll often find Blue-winged Teal with other species of dabbling ducks. They are often around the edges of ponds under vegetation, choosing a concealed spot to forage or rest.
• Habitat

  Look for Blue-winged Teal on calm bodies of water from marshes to small lakes. The prairie-pothole region is the heart of their breeding range, where they thrive in grassy habitats intermixed with wetlands.