蓝翅鸥

Spatula discors

Known as the second most abundant duck species in North America, they migrate long distances into South and Central America.

最低关注等级 鸟类 北美
Blue-winged teal

在动物园里

南美洲热带雨林与鸟类园

令人着迷的事实

  • These small ducks are long distance fliers! They spend their summers in North America, from southern Alaska, across Canada to the East Coast. In the fall, they migrate down to South America, sometimes as far south as northern Chile and Argentina! They are one of the first to migrate in the fall and one of the last to return in the spring.
  • The blue-winged teal rarely upends like other ducks, instead it feeds mostly by dabbing on the surface and dipping its head in shallow waters.

身体特征

When breeding, males have brown bodies with a slate-blue head and a white crescent behind the bill. Females are a plainer, patterned brown. When in flight, a powder blue patch is noticeable.

In the wild, Blue-winged teals can life from 10-17 years, and over 20 years under human care.

栖息地

Teals live in marshes, lakes, and swamps; during winter, they live near salt water and coastal mangroves.

饮食

Blue-winged teals eat seeds and roots of aquatic plants along with invertebrates such as insects and crustaceans.

社交行为

Blue-winged teals have many display motions, including pumping the head up and down and dipping the head under water quickly. Pairs usually break up during incubation and form new pair bond with different individuals during the winter or spring.

野生状态

Classified as a species of Least Concern. As the second most abundant duck in North America, they have a stable global breeding population of about 7.8 million birds. Their greatest threat is loss of wetlands habitat due to agricultural development.