Blue-winged teal

The blue-winged teal is a small, quick duck, and it is one of the last to arrive in spring and one of the first to leave. Flocks twist and turn low over the water, flashing the pale blue patch on the wing. The drake has a white crescent on his face that makes him easy to recognize.

Teal nest in the grass near shallow prairie wetlands, and the female hides the nest well under a canopy of grass. They feed by dabbling in the shallows for seeds and small invertebrates. They are among the longest-distance migrants of the dabbling ducks, and some travel all the way to northern South America for the winter.

Here are some of my favourite frames of this bird.

Photos

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