Adult: It’s hard to find anything prettier than those blue blue forewing patches on the flock as they fly in! Blue-wing Teals are small dabblers. The male and female are both mottled brown in fall; each has a green speculum. To distinguish which is which, look for a brighter green in the male’s speculum. The blue-wing hen has a prominent dark eyeline, as does the eclipse male. Both sexes have dark bills.

Breeding Plumage: The breeding male’s gray head and prominent white facial crescent give him away! You will spot him from a good distance. The white flank patch is also a good field mark.

The immature male resembles the hen.

Habitat: Grain Fields, Shallow Water in Freshwater and Salt Marshes, Lakes and Large Ponds.

Although it is considered a winter visitor, the blue-wing may be present in Florida at any time during the year. It breeds in Florida (March-June) but it is an uncommon breeder in the state.

Text by Mary Jean Rogers, West Volusia Audubon.