Identification

The male is very distinctive, since he has a bold white vertical half-moon in front of each eye as well as a forewing panel that is a much deeper blue than in any European duck. The big white spot near the rear of the flanks is another striking feature. Females are, as ever, somewhat trickier but the most striking feature is a pale spot near the base of the bill. The lack of a white line along the edge of the tail and the rather long, dark grey bill also separate this species from Eurasian Teal but a female Garganey would also have all these features. A Garganey though has a stripier looking head, a pale, almost white, chin and throat, a dark stripe below the pale face spot, dark, not yellowish legs, and a white trailing edge to the speculum.

Habitat

Marshes and pools

Behaviour

In the autumn, most sightings of Blue-winged Teal in the British Isles are in western Britain or Ireland but in spring the sightings are more scattered with no such westerly bias. This could mean that the spring sightings are mostly of birds which have escaped from captivity but a more popular hypothesis is that vagrants from America arrive in western Britain in the autumn then migrate to southern Europe in the winter and return, mostly to southern england in the spring. This is supported by the fact that some birds turn up in the same locality in successive springs and there is a marked period of spring ‘passage’ in late April and May. We also know that at least some of our Blue-winged Teals were ringed in Canada before being seen here.

Migration

Migrates south from breeding grounds in mid to south North America, to Gulf of Mexico, as far as West Indies and Neotropics-reaching Peru and Brazil.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Blue-winged Teal is classed as Rare: species currently considered for acceptance by the British Birds Rarities Committee (or forms of equivalent rarity).

Berry Fen, Cambs 27/06/2010	Sadler's Slough, Alberta, Canada 18/05/2010	Berry Fen, Cambs 21/06/2010	Paxton Pits NR, Cambs 27/05/2010	Pepper Arden Bottoms, N Yorks 03/05/2010
Bull Island, Dublin 01/11/2009	Haverton Hill, Cleveland 28/09/2009	Haverton Hill, Cleveland 28/09/2009	Saltholme RSPB, Cleveland 26/09/2009	Bull Island, Dublin 24/09/2009

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This species has been reported in the following areas (Bird News Extra subscribers can click a county name for more details):

http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob1920.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Blue-winged Teal	Edit this link
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	Identifying Female Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teals	Tuesday 11th December 2007
	Martin Garner examines the problems and pitfalls of separating these species in the field.

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