Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Diet

Eats seeds, roots, grasses, sedges, algae, and other aquatic plants; rice and grain; aquatic bugs, crustaceans, and snails.

Habitat

Inhabits shallow freshwater areas, such as marshes, ponds, and small lakes, as well as swampy grasslands and flooded meadows in North, Central, and northern South America.

Nesting

Lays 8-11 eggs in a scrape nest lined with vegetation and down. Incubation is 21-27 days, and fledging occurs at 35-44 days.

Did you know?

The blue-winged teal is a long-distance migrant. It is among the latest ducks to migrate north in the spring, and one of the first to migrate south in the fall.