Teal

©Terry R. Thomas/www.nature-track.com

Blue-winged teal are one of three species of teal in North America.

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We have been seeing green-winged teal mixed with mallards and American wigeons at Mack’s Inn in Island Park all winter. It was a treat though to see cinnamon teal and blue-winged teal on a recent birding trip across southeast Arizona. These three species comprise our smallest ducks and although each one is worthy of its own column, they are closely related and share a lot of characteristics.

Until recently, blue and green winged teal were placed in the genus, Anas, along with mallards. The cinnamon teal was in the genus, spatula, along with the Northern shoveler. However, genetic evidence has indicated that the blue-winged teal is most closely related to the cinnamon teal and its classification was moved from Anas to Spatula.

While there are possibly 30 species of teals worldwide, with teal on every continent except Antarctica, these three are the North American species. Of the three, the cinnamon teal is a strictly western bird. The blue-winged teal is a northern bird in summer but also goes the furthest south during winter. There are even resident populations of blue-winged teal in South America. Green-winged teal can be full-time residents in much of the West and migratory in other parts.

Of the three species, the green-winged teal is the smallest, at about 14 inches in length with a 23-inch wingspan.  The blue-winged teal is slightly larger, and the cinnamon teal is the largest at 16-17 inches, still smaller than a Northern shoveler. A cinnamon teal is often described as “chunkier”, but the biggest difference will be in the bill size. A cinnamon teal bill is about ten percent longer and wider than that of a blue or green winged teal, more reminiscent of that of the Norther shoveler.

All three of these ducks, females included, have large colorful wing patches. Both the cinnamon and blue-winged teal have large powder blue shoulder patches on the wings in all seasons. The green-winged teal, unsurprisingly, has a green patch on the speculum or secondary flight feathers on the back side of the middle of the wing.

Males of all three species are beautiful birds in breeding plumage. The cinnamon teal is mostly rusty red and sports a red eye, which it maintains even in eclipse plumage. The drake green-winged teal has a rusty red head with a large green stripe from the eye to the back of the head. His shoulder sports a vertical white stripe and gray sides and a buff chest complete the outfit. In Eurasia, a green-winged teal subspecies is known as the common duck. The male common duck has a horizontal white stripe instead of a vertical one on the shoulder. The blue-winged teal has a bluish head with a strong vertical white crescent on his face. His body is a brown mottling with a black back and tail.

Females are a different story. They are all very similar with a camouflage pattern of brown and white. However, they do have the characteristic wing patterns like the males so if they open their wings, you have a chance to identify them.

While teals are classified as dabbling ducks, ducks that “tip up” to feed and rarely dive, that isn’t how most teal get their groceries. The prefer to skim along the water with their bill partially submerged. This way they can strain out food particles from the surface using comb-like projections, lamellae, on the edges of their bill. You can often see one following another taking advantage of the food the lead duck stirs up while swimming. Seeds are their most common food, but during nesting season, the female may consume mostly protein rich invertebrates.

Seeing a teal of any species is always a thrill. These fast-flying birds will put on quite a show if you take a little time to watch and enjoy them.

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Help Idaho Wildlife

When we traveled across the state in October 2017, we visited most of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game wildlife management areas. Most of the vehicles we saw using the wildlife management areas did not have wildlife plates. Buying wildlife plates is a great way for non-hunters and hunters alike to support wildlife-based recreation like birding.

C'mon folks, let's help Idaho's wildlife by proudly buying and displaying a wildlife license plate on each of our vehicles! 

See below for information on Idaho plates. Most states have wildlife plates so if you live outside Idaho, check with your state's wildlife department or vehicle licensing division for availability of state wildlife plates where you live. 

And tell them that you heard about it from Nature-track.com!

Wildlife License Plates

Great news! as of 2024, there are three NEW designs for license plates. They still are bluebird, cutthroat trout and elk, but they are beautiful.

Idaho Wildlife license plates provide essential funding that benefits the great diversity of native plants and wildlife that are not hunted, fished or trapped—over 10,000 species or 98% of Idaho’s species diversity. Game species that share the same habitats (such as elk, deer, antelope, sage-grouse, salmon, trout) also benefit from these specialty plates.

No state tax dollars are provided for wildlife diversity, conservation education and recreation programs. Neither are any revenues from the sale of hunting or fishing licenses spent on nongame species. Instead, these species depend on direct donations, federal grants, fundraising initiatives—and the Idaho Wildlife license plates.

Both my vehicles have Bluebird Plates. I prefer the bluebird because the nongame program gets 70 percent of the money from bluebird plates, but only 60 percent of the money from elk and trout plates - 10 percent of the money from elk plates supports wildlife disease monitoring and testing programs (to benefit the livestock industry) and 10 percent from cutthroat plates supports non-motorized boat access.

Incidentally, in 2014, the Idaho Legislature denied the Department of Fish and Game the ability to add new plates or even to change the name of the elk and cutthroat plates (very specific) to wildlife and fish plates, a move that would have allowed for changing images occasionally and generating more revenue. It would seem that they believe that we Idahoans don't want a well funded wildlife program.

I think it is time we let the Legislature know that Idahoan support wildlife funding and that we would like to see these generic plates come to fruition.