Green Winged Teal
There are three subspecies of this little duck, the European (Common) Teal (A. c. crecca), Aleutian Teal (A. c. nimia) and the American Green-winged Teal (A. c. carolinensis). The major differences in the subspecies, can be seen in the drakes. American drakes have a vertical white band on the side of it's breast, whereas the European drakes have a horizontal white band above the wings. The drakes of the European subspecies also have a more defined border to the green patch on the face. The Aleutian is nearly identical to the European, but larger and found only on the Aluetian Islands and is not migratory. All the females are very similar to one another. With this care sheet, I will concentrate on the American subspecies, but I'm sure the information would apply to the others as far as captive care. In North America, the Green-wing Teal is the smallest native duck. The teal breeds across much of Canada and the northern States, and winters from the U.S. to Central America. It is still very common throughout much of it's range and are popular with duck hunters.
