Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca
Green-winged Teals are capable of vertical take-offs directly from the water's surface, a feat many larger ducks cannot achieve.
- Scientific name
- Anas crecca
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Anseriformes › Anatidae › Anas
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Shallow freshwater ponds, marshes, flooded fields, and coastal mudflats.
- Diet
- Seeds of sedges, grasses, and smartweeds, as well as aquatic insects and mollusks.
- Range
- North America, Eurasia, Northern Africa
- Size
- 30-39 cm in length; wingspan of 53-59 cm.
- Lifespan
- 10-15 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland degradation, climate change affecting breeding grounds, and lead poisoning from ingestion of spent shot.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Observe from a distance to avoid flushing the bird, which wastes its energy. If found injured, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to keep as a pet.
The Eurasian teal , common teal , or Eurasian green-winged teal ( Anas crecca ) is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian teal is often called simply the teal due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range. The bird gives its name to the blue-green colour teal.
Photo: Smudge 9000, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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