05/08/2026
Happy Fauna Friday!
For this week’s , we have another waterfowl! We will be highlighting the Green-Winged Teal (Anas carolinensis)!
“The Green-winged teal is the smallest North American dabbling duck. The breeding male has grey flanks and back, with a yellow rear end and a white-edged green speculum, obvious in flight or at rest. It has a chestnut head with a green eye patch. The female is light brown, with plumage much like a female mallard. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female.”
“These birds are migratory and winter from southern Alaska and southern British Columbia east to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and south to Central America. They also winter in Hawaii. Green-winged teal inhabit sheltered wetlands, such as taiga bogs, inland lakes, marshes, ponds, pools, and shallow streams with dense emergent and aquatic vegetation. These birds also inhabit arctic tundra and semidesert communities and avoid treeless or brushless habitats.”
“Green-winged teal are serially monogamous and form new pairs each breeding season; however, some males may exhibit polygynous behavior and mate with more than one female. In North Dakota, Green-winged teal generally begin nesting in late April. In the Northwest Territories, they begin nesting between late May and early July.”
https://animalia.bio/green-winged-teal
This photo was taken by the Otter Project’s trail camera!
