Hear a story about a blue-winged teal.
Hear a blue-winged teal.

from The Birds of Texas
by John L. Tveten

The blue-winged teal are among the earliest fall migrants to reach Texas, with some of them arriving in late August from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern states. When the first cold snap touches the reed-lined potholes of the prairie provinces and the upper Great Plains, the blue-winged teal head southward. Most will cross our borders and continue as far as Central and South America. But some will remain in Texas through the winter, particularly along the coast and inland to the Edward's Plateau. Reluctant to return until the waters have warmed, they may linger here into late April or early May.

This small duck is one of three teal species found in Texas, the others being the green-winged teal and the cinnamon teal. Blue-winged teal are about size of pigeons and have predominantly brown and tan plumage. In flight, both the male and female show a broad, powder-blue patch on the upper side of the wing ahead of a metallic green speculum. The male's breeding plumage features a gray-blue head with a broad white crescent in front of the eye. Shortly after breeding, the male sheds his bright garb for a duller pattern known as the "eclipse plumage." During eclipse, the male's plumage resembles the female's. Because male blue-wings retain their eclipse plumage longer than most ducks, the two sexes look very much alike when they arrive in Texas in the fall.

Ducks may be divided into two general groups, the dabblers and the diving ducks. Teal are dabblers. The dabblers, or "puddle ducks," have smaller feet and legs mounted well forward on the bodies. Thus they walk well on land. Their wings are larger relative to the body weight, and they are able to fly slowly and under greater control, dropping down onto small ponds and springing up again in flight directly from the surface. Dabblers prefer shallow water and and can be found on marshes, lakes, stock tanks, ponds and bays. They tip tail-up to feed on aquatic vegetation and invertebrates beneath the surface. Grain, grasses and other green shoots are also included in the diet.

Excerpts from The Birds of Texas by John L. Tveten with permission from Shearer Publishing, Inc.

More Bird Facts The blue-winged teal is a member of the Anatidae family, which includes ducks, geese and swans. Some 145 species of Anatidae occur around the world, nearly half of them in North America. Forty-two species of the Anatidae family have been documented in Texas, but nine of those species appear only as accidental visitors. Most male ducks are distinctively patterned and easy to identify in breeding plumage. After breeding they shed their colorful garb for a duller "eclipse plumage." During eclipse, male blue-wings resemble the females. Teal calls are different for each sex: the female converses with soft quacking sounds; the male has a repertoire of peeping and twittering calls. The blue-winged teal, green-winged teal and cinnamon teal are game birds in Texas .

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