Spatula discors

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Vernacular names
English : Blue-winged teal
French : Sarcelle à ailes bleues

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Anseriformes
Family : Anatidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
41.5 cm in length for a weight of 544 g. Male is unmistakable with its grey head with a white vertical band on cheeks. Rest of body brown-rufous with lots of black spots. Female is dark brown overall with clear cheeks.

Range and habitat
Breeds from South Alaska to Newfoundland and the coast of Gulf of Mexico, winters from South USA (from California to Florida) to north Peru and Brazil. Lives in shallow water areas around lakes, flooded grasslands, mangroves and coastlines. Recorded above 2000 m in Mexico and Venezuela.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : This species is still common in the wild but some of its wintering grounds have been degraded. Local declines have been known to occur in Canada.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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