Blue-winged Teal

Blue-winged Teal
Photo credit: Jimmy Jackson
-Anas discors-

Length: 15.5 inches
Wingspan: 23 inches
Weight: 1 pound

In full plumage, male has violet-gray head with distinctive white crescent on each side. Female is smaller and generally drab, distinguished from the even smaller female Green-winged Teal by larger bill and yellowish legs. Common in marshes, flooded fields and ponds in open country.  Nests in northern Prairie Pothole Region. Present in Texas as early as mid-August, sometimes stays until early-June.