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Spatula discors

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Blue-winged Teal

G5Secure Found in 27 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106246
Element CodeABNJB10130
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderAnseriformes
FamilyAnatidae
GenusSpatula
Synonyms
Anas discorsLinnaeus, 1766
Other Common Names
blue-winged teal (EN) Cerceta Ala Azul, Pato Media Luna, Pato de Alas Az (ES) Marreca-Sará (PT) Sarcelle à ailes bleues (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
May hybridize in the wild with A. cyanoptera (AOU 1983). Formerly (AOU 1983, 1998) considered part of Anas, but now treated as separate on the basis of genetic data (Gonzalez et al. 2009) which indicate that Anas as previously constituted was paraphyletic, and further that it consisted of four deeply divergent clades, now recognized as the separate genera Sibirionetta, Spatula, Mareca, and Anas (cf. Livezey 1991). Linear sequence of genera and species follows Gonzalez et al. (2009). (AOU 2017).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-06
Change Date1996-11-21
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: southern Canada south to southern California, New Mexico, central Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina; also recently in Hawaii (Aimakapa Pond, Hawaii). Breeding abundance is highest in the prairie pothole region of the north-central U.S. and south-central Canada. NORTHERN WINTER: southern U.S. south to southern Peru, central Argentina, and southern Brazil (mainly to nothern South America); the most common and widespread migrant duck in Colombia and Costa Rica); common in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; regular in recent years in Hawaii. Major wintering concentrations occur along the Gulf Coast of Mexico and in Caribbean coastal areas of Venezuela, Colombia, and Guyana (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995). In the U.S., the highest winter densities occur in southern Texas and peninsular Florida (Root 1988).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Marshes, ponds, sloughs, lakes, and sluggish streams. In migration and when not breeding, in both freshwater and brackish situations (AOU 1983); prefers freshwater marshes, ponds, and sloughs, but occurs also in river pools, salt ponds, coastal lagoons, estuaries, and flooded pastures (Costa Rica, Stiles and Skutch 1989; Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995). Commonly colonizes newly available habitats.

Optimal nesting habitats include semi-permanent wetlands, ponds, and seasonal wetlands surrounded by grassland (Brewer et al. 1991). Nests usually on the ground among tall grasses or sedges, usually near water; seems to prefer to nest in native grass comunities in good range condition (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995). Nest cover is provided by matted residual herbaceous vegetation (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995). In the Midwest, bluegrass is the preferred nesting cover; also commonly uses hayfields and sedge meadows within 100 m of water (Brewer et al. 1991). Broods often use semi-permanent wetlands that include about 50% open water and a good supply of aquatic insects and other invertebrates (Brewer et al. 1991). Stock ponds with well-developed emergent vegetation provide locally important brood habitat (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995). Females change breeding sites from year to year in response to changes in wetland condtitions (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995). Male breeding territories include one or two small ponds within the home range (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995).

Ecology

Nonbreeding: usually in flocks. A few weeks after incubation begins, males form molting flocks in or away from breeding areas. May feed with other dabbling ducks, coots, and shorebirds. The size of local breeding populations varies annually in response to habitat conditions. Has the highest annual mortality rate (reaching 65%) of all the dabbling ducks; this probably is due to hunting and the long over-ocean migration that most individuals experience. Large numbers of nests are lost to mammalian and avian predators. Most post-hatching mortality occurs in the first two weeks. Annual survival rate is somwehat over 50% in adults and 32-44% in juveniles (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995).

Reproduction

Nesting begins in late April in the Midwest. Peak nesting occurs usually in late May in the U.S., in early June in Canada (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995). Clutch size 6-15 (usually 9-11). Incubation 23-27 days, by female. Nestlings precocial, tended by female. First flight of young occurs 35-44 days after hatching (Terres 1980). First breeds at one year; most yearling females nest. Renesting is likely if nest loss occurs early in laying period and/or when wetland conditions are good (Gammonley and Fredrickson 1995).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B
ProvinceRankNative
Prince Edward IslandS3B,S4MYes
ManitobaS5BYes
LabradorS2MYes
OntarioS3B,S4MYes
Nova ScotiaS3BYes
QuebecS3BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
British ColumbiaS4BYes
NunavutSUBYes
Yukon TerritoryS4BYes
SaskatchewanS5BYes
New BrunswickS4BYes
Island of NewfoundlandSUB,S1MYes
AlbertaS5BYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNRB,SNRNYes
TexasS3B,S5NYes
IndianaS4BYes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
IowaS4B,S5NYes
ColoradoS5BYes
ArizonaS2B,S5NYes
North DakotaSNRBYes
MaineS4BYes
WyomingS5B,S4NYes
KentuckyS1BYes
North CarolinaSHB,S2NYes
District of ColumbiaS2NYes
OhioS3Yes
Rhode IslandS1BYes
ConnecticutSHBYes
WashingtonS5BYes
MississippiS4NYes
ArkansasSNAYes
MassachusettsS2B,S5MYes
LouisianaS4B,S5NYes
UtahS3BYes
MontanaS5BYes
New JerseyS5Yes
New HampshireS3BYes
MichiganS3Yes
OregonS4Yes
New YorkS2B,SNRNYes
DelawareS1BYes
VermontS2BYes
IllinoisS3Yes
AlabamaS2B,S4NYes
South CarolinaS5NYes
PennsylvaniaS1B,S3N,S3MYes
FloridaSNRNYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
KansasS3BYes
AlaskaS4BYes
OklahomaSNRYes
MarylandS1BYes
NevadaSNAYes
West VirginiaS1BYes
TennesseeS2BYes
MissouriSNRB,SNRMYes
New MexicoS3B,S4NYes
Navajo NationS1NYes
NebraskaS5Yes
VirginiaS1B,S2NYes
WisconsinS3BYes
South DakotaS5BYes
IdahoS2BYes
Roadless Areas (27)
Alaska (3)
AreaForestAcres
North BaranofTongass National Forest314,089
RedoubtTongass National Forest68,347
Sitka UrbanTongass National Forest112,003
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
Colorado (3)
AreaForestAcres
Dome PeakRoutt NF35,716
HermosaSan Juan NF148,103
Red TableWhite River NF39,122
Idaho (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
HoodooNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest153,868
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Irish Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest1,226
Montana (4)
AreaForestAcres
Buckhorn Ridge (MT)Kootenai National Forest34,716
Cube Iron - SilcoxLolo National Forest36,998
MadisonGallatin National Forest127,859
Selway - Bitterroot (01067)Bitterroot National Forest114,953
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Pearl PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest71,405
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
North Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
SheyenneDakota Prairie Grasslands14,537
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
Hurricane CreekWallowa-Whitman National Forest1,606
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big Laurel Branch AdditionCherokee National Forest5,577
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
Wyoming (3)
AreaForestAcres
Gros Ventre MountainsBridger-Teton National Forest106,418
West Slope WindsBridger-Teton National Forest143,252
Wilderness Study AreaTarghee National Forest51,961
References (39)
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