Green-winged Teals

HAPPY ST. PATRICK"S DAY!

Green-winged Teals on the move, Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, Gilbert, AZ; 12/26/2011.

A pair of Green-winged Teals, Riparian Preserve, Gilbert, AZ; 12/26/2011.

What better day is there to talk about Green-winged Teals than on St. Patrick's Day? During my two visits last December to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, AZ, I was happy to see a large number of Green-winged Teals (Above) because all of the previous times I have seen them, they have either been very far in the distance or on days with poor lighting conditions.

A nice look at a male Green-winged Teal, Riparian Preserve, Gilbert, AZ; 12/26/2011.

Despite their grayish and brownish coloring, these ducks are very pretty with a bright green swoop of color extending from behind their eyes stretching toward their nape set on a complimentary rufous head.  On the other end they have a buffy coloring under their tails (Above).

A good look at a Green-winged Teal's wings while in flight, Riparian Preserve, Gilbert, AZ; 12/26/2011.

Of course, their namesake is because of the patch of green on their wings that is offset by a band of whitish and buffy bars. These colors are prominent when in flight, although the green patch looks  more blue in this pic (Above). The green patch on their wings is more obvious when the sunlight hits it at a good angle (Below).

The bright green wing patch is evident on the Teal in the left of the photo, Riparian Preserve, Gilbert, AZ; 12/26/2011.

Green-winged Teals will spend the winter in the southern half of the U.S. and into Mexico from coast to coast. In the Summer months they will migrate to more northern territory flocking in small groups looking for shallow marshes or mudflats. They are more common in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, spreading west to the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and throughout all of Canada and Alaska.