Free Teacher Resources
A male blue-winged teal with a gray-blue head and white face crescent standing on straw.
Photo: Alan D. Wilson, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Blue-Winged Teal

Spatula discors

A small dabbling duck that flies from North America as far as South America each fall, flashing a powder-blue wing patch.

🦆 Waterfowl
Checking teacher reviews…
Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Blue-Winged Teal

Blue-winged teals spend summers in North America, from southern Alaska across Canada to the East Coast, and fly south in fall, sometimes as far as northern Chile and Argentina. They are among the first ducks to leave in fall and the last to return in spring. Breeding males have a slate-blue head with a white crescent by the bill; females are mottled brown.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Spatula discors[1]
Diet
Seeds and roots of water plants, plus insects and crustaceans.[1]
Habitat
Marshes, lakes and swamps; salt water and mangroves in winter.[1]
Where it lives
Breeds in North America and winters as far south as South America.[1]
Group life
New pairs form each winter or spring.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020).[2]

Fun facts

  • Blue-winged teals are among the first ducks to migrate in fall.[1]
  • Some fly from Canada all the way to South America.[1]
  • The blue wing patch is easiest to see when the duck flies.[1]

Vocabulary

dabbling duck
A duck that feeds at the water's surface instead of diving.
migrate
To travel from one region to another as the seasons change.
crustacean
An animal with a hard outer shell and jointed legs, such as a crab or shrimp.
waterfowl
Ducks, geese and swans.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Blue-winged teal.” https://www.sfzoo.org/blue-winged-teal/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Spatula discors (Blue-winged Teal).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680229/137731845 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Waterfowl

An Egyptian goose with a dark brown eye patch and pink legs walking on grass.Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaA brown African waterbird with dark eye patches that grazes near rivers and lakes and has spread to parts of Europe.A pair of ringed teals standing on a log above the water.Ringed TealCallonetta leucophrysOne of the world's smallest ducks, a tree-perching duck of South American wetlands that nests in tree holes.A male ruddy duck with a bright blue bill and white cheeks swimming.Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisA small diving duck of the Americas with a bright blue bill, whose males drum their bills to make bubbles when courting.A gray southern screamer with a black ring around its neck standing in tall dry grass.Southern ScreamerChauna torquataA South American wetland bird, also called the crested screamer, whose call carries up to 3 km and whose wings have sharp spurs.A swan goose with a long two-toned neck and a black bill walking near water.Swan GooseAnser cygnoidesAn endangered long-necked goose of eastern Asia that migrates thousands of kilometers and is the ancestor of the Chinese domestic goose.