Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors


Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal, common in eastern North America, are regular but uncommon winterers along the west coast. They are near cousins to the mostly western Cinnamon Teal, and the females of the two species can be hard to distinguish from each other, though the males have strikingly different breeding plumages.


Blue-winged Teal
Above and below, female Blue-winged Teal; their subtle differences from female Cinnamons include more of a distinct dark line through the eye, and a vague crescent formed by the light feathers directly behind the bill and on the chin, where Cinnamons are more nearly solid brown.

Blue-winged Teal


Blue-winged Teal
Above and below, Blue-winged Teal pairs. Both sexes have the blue secondary coverts that gives the species its common name. In the two images above, note the female's dull green speculum (secondary patch), and compare the bright iridescent green of the male, visible at the top and bottom of the page.


Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal
Another angle on the male Blue-wing, above, here feeding off the water surface. Below, a male taking flight, showing the color arrangement of the rear underwing, with pale blue and white in the coverts, and iridescent green in the secondaries (speculum). The male of the closely related Cinnamon Teal, otherwise so different in plumage, has the same wing pattern.


Blue-winged Teal