Fun Teal Facts For Kids

The Eurasian green-winged teal is one of the most widespread species of dabbling ducks in the European and Asian region. The common teal is generally referred to simply as a teal for it is the only dabbling duck species across much of its range of habitat. As a matter of fact, the dark greenish-blue teal color draws its name from the Eurasian teal duck. This bird species has similarly dark greenish-blue teal color stripes on its head. Some of the most popular color variations in this bird species are green-winged teal and blue-winged teal bird. The word teal is used in common parlance while referring to the various shades of blue.

Here are some of the most interesting facts on the teal swan for your perusal. For more relatable content, check out these ring-necked duck facts and crested duck facts for kids.

What type of animal is a teal?

A teal is a small bird of the family Anatidae. They are found in many islands and six continents. The teal is classified as a dabbling duck within the genuine duck species classification system.

What class of animal does a teal belong to?

A  green-winged teal is a duck that belongs to the Aves class of the animal kingdom.

How many teals are there in the world?

The entire population of teal bird species is projected to be between 6,600,000-7,700,000. The general population trend is ambiguous, with some populations declining while others being steady, expanding, or exhibiting unknown tendencies. The breeding population in North America was at least four million, about double the long-term average as of 2015.

Where does a teal live?

The green-winged teal nest mostly in isolated river deltas, forested wetlands, and mixed prairie areas of northern North America. Nesting areas include grasslands or sedge meadows with sedge or cattail brush thickets for shelter. Those that live on the Aleutian islands build their nests on shallow, weedy ponds, ocean shorelines, and beaches.

What is a teal's habitat?

The green-winged teal forage in flooded meadows and shallow bodies of water. They lay their eggs in thick vegetation around river deltas. Look for them in shallow wetlands, coastal marshes, and estuaries during migration and winter.

Who do teals live with?

The green-winged teal dwells in flocks. The green-winged teal congregates in roosting flocks of up to 50,000 birds throughout the winter.

How long does a teal live?

The blue-winged teal can live up to 17 years if they survive to maturity. Though it is unclear whether this pertains to the common or green-winged teal, the greatest reported longevity was more than 27 years, which is quite long for such a little bird.

How do they reproduce?

The green-winged teal does not nest or breed in the Bay region; instead, it nests over much of Canada, Alaska, and the northern Midwest of the United States. Breeding takes place from late April until early June. Females deposit 6-10 eggs, which take 21-23 days to hatch. Males abandon the females shortly after incubation.

What is their conservation status?

Green-winged teal birds are abundant across their habitat, and their number has grown in recent decades. The majority of the population or breeders breed in Canada and Alaska. In the United States, they are only second to Mallards in terms of the number of ducks captured by hunters each year. Their conservation status is Least Concern.

What do teals look like?

Males have chestnut-colored heads with big teal eyes, a speckled chest, gray flanks, and a yellow-tail with a black edging. Females have a speckled brown coloration. The bodies of adult males are brownish, with a faint white vertical stripe running from the waterline to the shoulder. Both sexes have green wing patches (speculum) in their secondary wings, however, these can be covered while not in flight. The major difference in the appearance of a teal and a black duck is that the plumage of the black duck is darker in appearance than the teal.

How cute are they?

The attractive color pattern on the green-winged teal’s body makes them look more beautiful.

How do they communicate?

The green-winged teal, like other ducks, communicates by quacks. Most dabbling duck females make what are known as decrescendo calls. Males communicate with a deep, throaty grunt, especially during the breeding season. Male breeding plumage influences the perception of partners in teal mating displays. Males just quack while vertically stretching their necks, producing a burp.

How big is a teal?

A green-winged teal is two times smaller than a male Muscovy duck. An average green-winged teal size varies between 13-15 in (33-38.1 cm) with a wingspan of up to 24 in (61 cm).

How fast can a teal fly?

The teal has a peak speed of only 30 mph (48.3 kph). They're the slowest ducks, yet they appear to be the fastest because of how they dart over and skim cover. Many hunters refer to them as quick movers, an ironic moniker. Most ducks fly at speeds ranging from 40-55 mph (64.4-88.5 kph), with a canvasback reaching incredible speeds of up to 70 mph (112.7 kph).

How much does a teal weigh?

An adult teal weighs anywhere between 11.2-12.7 oz (317.5-360 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no specific name for male and female teals.

What would you call a baby teal?

There is no specific name for a baby green-winged teal, it is just known as juvenile teal.

What do they eat?

The green-winged teal mostly consumes aquatic insects and seeds. Plant foods include grass seeds, sedge fruit, pondweed seeds, and aquatic plant seeds. Midges, tadpoles, mollusks, and crustaceans are examples of animal prey. Chicks under two weeks of age feed mostly on bug larvae.

Are they friendly?

Yes, they are friendly, and their only protective and aggressive behavior is to defend their eggs from predators during the breeding season.

Would they make a good pet?

No, they cannot be kept as pets as the conditions for them to survive are not available in an urban area.

Did you know...

A group of teal is referred to as a spring because of their ability to lift off rapidly and vertically as if they have leaped right off the ground!

Teal hair color, which is essentially a shade of blue, also draws its name from the teal duck species. This is the reason that this bird finds mention in various types of content pieces across a range of media.

When the Eurasian teal was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, the English translation of the Latin description was 'a duck with green speculum, a white line above and below the eyes.'

You can store teal in the freezer safely for up to six months.

What does a teal duck sound like?

A male teal duck whistles, whilst a female teal quacks.

How many teal duck species are there?

There are more than 20 duck species of teal worldwide. Similar dabbling duck species may be reclassified or various teals may be divided or merged into other species in the future, affecting the number of distinct teal species.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our radjah shelduck facts and harlequin duck fun facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our Grey Teal coloring pages.