The Green-winged Teal (*Anas crecca*) is North America's smallest dabbling duck, and one of its most striking. The male is a showstopper in breeding plumage, sporting a rich chestnut head adorned with a bold, iridescent emerald-green patch sweeping back from the eye and bordered by a thin cream stripe. His body is finely vermiculated gray, and he has a distinctive vertical white stripe on his shoulder, a buff-colored breast speckled with dark spots, and a bright yellow patch near the tail. Both sexes share the namesake feature — a vivid, metallic green speculum (wing patch) that flashes brilliantly in flight. The female is a more modest mottled brown, typical of dabbling ducks, but still displays that same gleaming green wing patch. Compact and fast-flying, green-winged teals are agile acrobats in the air, often twisting and turning in tight flocks. They frequent shallow marshes, ponds, and wetlands, tipping forward to feed on seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates, and are a favorite among birders and waterfowl hunters alike for their beauty and speed.
