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Anas discors
Blue Winged Teal
Florida native
Blue-winged teal are common winter visitors to Florida. These are long-distance migrants, with some birds traveling as far as South America, so they are often among the earliest waterfowl to arrive each year.
These small ducks are often seen in pairs and small groups on the calm water of marshes and small lakes dabbling and end-up feeding in the shallow and vegetated areas.
Males are in breeding plumage from November through June exhibiting brown bodies, dark back and tail, specked on the sides and breast. The slaty-blue head has a white crescent behind the bill and anther white patch on the sides just in front of the tail. Non-breeding males and females are brown-grey mottled with a fainter, incomplete white crescent barely visible behind the bill. Both sexes show a powder-blue patch on the upper wing coverts in flight.
Anas discors is a member of the Anatidae - Ducks, Geese and Swans family.
Other species of the Anas genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Anas acuta - NORTHERN PINTAIL
Anas fulvigula var. fulvigula - MOTTLED DUCK
Anas platyrhynchos - MALLARD
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species
Date record last modified: Mar 03, 2025
