The
Green-winged teal is about 34-43cm long and has a black beak
and legs. Males have chestnut brown heads and necks and gray
backs with dark lines, and from a distance, are similar in appearance
to gray ducks. They also have dark green face patches with light
colored borders surrounding their eyes and extending downward
to the side of their napes, as well as a white horizontal stripe
on their scapulars. In flight, the bird's green speculums, which
are broader in the upper portion and have white rims, can be
clearly spotted. Females are dark brown with spots, the edges
of their feathers are slightly lighter in color, and they have
black eye patches.
Behavior:
Green-winged
teals are omnivores, feeding primarily on grass, nut grass flat
sedge (cyperus rotundus), and plant seeds in the wintertime
and aquatic invertebrates during the spring and summer. Their
name is derived from their green speculums, which can only be
seen when the bird is in flight. Every October, hundreds of
Green-winged teals fly together to look for thick shrubs along
swamps or among bushes near lakeshores in which to settle, only
to leave the following March. In the winter, they can also be
found near saltwater marshlands and coastlands. They are gregarious
birds and can sometimes be seen in the thousands, swimming together
gracefully in the ocean or on a lake. Fast-flying birds, they
will quickly take off from the surface of the water and flutter
away when disturbed.
Habitat:
Green-winged
teals are often found near river outlets, shoals, ponds, swamps,
rivers, and inland streams, as well as on seashores.
