By Sally Siko

One of the prettiest duck species that visits North Carolina each year are the Green-winged Teal.
I was so happy to get a nice look at this pair last month!
As you can see here, the drakes have a green stripe going across their faces which is absolutely gorgeous when the sunlight reflects off of it. The hens are just as lovely dressed in a mottled plumage of buff and brown tones.
Both sexes sport their namesake bright aqua green wing patches (called the specula) with white borders which are best viewed when they’re in flight.
Usually they are pretty skittish so getting a couple photos of this pair at a relatively close range felt really good!

Weighing in at less than 16oz, these little ones are among the smallest of the dabbling duck family.
What they lack in size they make up in appetite though lol!
During the spring and summer, they are voracious eaters of mollusks, worms, insects and crustaceans.
When winter arrives they switch up their diet to feed on the seeds of aquatic plants grasses, sedges, and agricultural grain.

Green-winged Teals are a familiar wintertime resident of North Carolina. Each November they arrive in droves from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern parts of the United States to spend the coldest months in the mid Atlantic region.
Mainly found in the central and eastern regions of the state, look for them in fresh & brackish water areas, marshes, ponds and lakes.
They’ll only stick around until late March (and occasionally through early April) so get out and go find ‘em soon before they head north 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

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