Physical 

The green-winged teal is the smallest dabbling duck in North America, at 37 cm. They are named for the green patches on their upper wings. Males have a brown head with a green swatch across the eyes. The rest of their body is a mix of dappled grey, cream-colored tails, and white and black bands. Unlike most other ducks, males whistle instead of quacking. Females are mottled brown.

 

Habitat

Green-winged teals live on marshes, rivers, and bays. Summers are spent inland, while winters lead them to coastal coastal estuaries, tidal marshes, or shallow plant-filled inland lakes. You can find them in the Barnegat Bay during the winter.

 

Feeding 

Their diet varies seasonally, according to their location. They feed mostly on seeds from grasses, sedges, and pondweeds. In the summer, they may tend more toward insects, crustaceans, molluscs, tadpoles, earthworms, and fish eggs. Green-winged teals will wade through the shallows, picking from the water’s surface, filtering through mud, or flipping forward into the water.