# Green-winged Teal (*Anas crecca*) The Green-winged Teal is a small duck with beautiful green feathers on its wings. It loves to swim and can often be seen in ponds and wetlands, quacking happily with its friends. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 9 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Green-winged Teal](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Common_Teal_Male_%288602525826%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: Koshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Teal_Male_%288602525826%29.jpg) ## Appearance The Green-winged Teal is a small dabbling duck with a prominent iridescent green speculum (wing patch). Males have a striking chestnut head marked with an iridescent green stripe extending from the eye to the nape, and a vertical white bar on their flank. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Anseriformes - **Family:** Anatidae - **Genus:** Anas ## Interesting facts - It's the smallest dabbling duck found in North America! - Male Green-winged Teals make a unique high-pitched whistling sound. - Their wings beat so fast, they often make a blur in the air! - These tiny ducks can travel thousands of kilometers during migration! ## Special abilities - **Explosive Takeoff:** Green-winged Teals can spring vertically from the water because of powerful leg muscles, helping them escape predators quickly. - **Agile Flight:** Green-winged Teals have strong, pointed wings that help them achieve fast, erratic flight patterns for evasive maneuvers. - **Efficient Dabbling:** Green-winged Teals can feed on the water's surface by tipping upside down, reaching food without fully submerging. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 32-40 cm - **Wingspan:** 53-60 cm - **Weight:** 0.14-0.5 kg - **Lifespan:** 5-10 years - **Speed:** 72 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 8-11 - **Incubation:** 20-23 days - **Migration Distance:** 3200 km ## Diet & Feeding These ducks feast on tiny seeds, aquatic plants, and small invertebrates found in shallow waters. - **Primary Foods:** Aquatic plant seeds, Grasses, Sedges, Insect larvae, Small crustaceans, Snails - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** [Northern Harrier](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-harrier) (*Circus hudsonius*) — Preys on ducklings and sometimes adult teals. - **Hunts:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — Raids nests for eggs and preys on ducklings and adults. - **Hunts:** [American Mink](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-mink) (*Neovison vison*) — A swift predator of teal eggs, ducklings, and adults. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species. - [Speedster](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/speedster): This trait identifies organisms that exhibit exceptional swiftness in movement for hunting, escape, or travel. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch ducks from a distance and don't feed them bread. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Green-winged Teal? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Green-winged Teal? 32-40 cm ### What is Green-winged Teal's wingspan? 53-60 cm ### How much does Green-winged Teal weigh? 0.14-0.5 kg ### How long does Green-winged Teal live? 5-10 years ### How fast can Green-winged Teal move? 72 km/h ### What does Green-winged Teal eat? These ducks feast on tiny seeds, aquatic plants, and small invertebrates found in shallow waters. ### Where is Green-winged Teal usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Grist Mill Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/grist-mill-park) — Virginia, US · Park - [Illinois Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/illinois-street-historic-district) — Alaska, US · Historic District - [Kirk Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kirk-park) — Virginia, US · Park - [McClellan Creek National Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mcclellan-creek-national-grassland) — Texas, US · National Park - [Professorville](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/professorville) — California, US · Park - [Ridgeview Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ridgeview-park) — Virginia, US · Park [View all places to see Green-winged Teal](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/green-winged-teal) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Green-winged Teal: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/green-winged-teal)