Teal

Teal, common name applied to certain small, freshwater ducks. The name is based on size rather than on relationships, so that several quite different groups of small ducks are called teal. In Britain the name signifies a species of which the American subspecies is called the common, or green-winged, teal. At 35 cm (14 in), it is the smallest North American duck. The male's brown head is slightly crested, and has a green patch from the eye to the nape. Both sexes have a green patch or speculum on the back edge of the wing. The other North American ducks called teal belong to a group called the blue-winged ducks, as all have a large light-blue or blue-gray patch on the front side of the wing. The blue-winged teal is found over most of North America from Alaska eastward in summer, and migrates as far as South America in winter. Males have a dark-bluish head with a distinctive white crescent from forehead to chin. A close relative, the cinnamon teal, breeds from western North America to South America. Males are a rich dark-chestnut color. The nearest relatives of these two are the several species of shoveler and the garganey of Eurasia.

Scientific classification: Teals belong to the family Anatidae of the order Anseriformes. The common, or green-winged, teal is classified as Anas crecca; the blue-winged teal as Anas discors; the cinnamon teal as Anas cyanoptera; and the garganey as Anas querquedula.