Blue Winged Teal

Location/Habitat
Lives in North America. The range is all of North America except western and northern Alaska, northern Yukon Territory, northern Northwest Territories and the northeastern area of Canada. Blue-winged teal are rare in the desert southwest, and the west coast. The breeding habitat of the blue-winged teal is marshes and ponds.

Appearance
The blue-winged teal is around 16 inches long, with a wingspan near 23 inches, and a weight of 13 oz (0.182 pounds). The adult male has a grayish blue head with a white facial crescent, a light brown body with a white patch near the rear and a black tail. The adult female is mottled brown, and has a whitish area at the base of the bill. Both genders have sky-blue wing coverts, a green speculum, and yellow legs. They have two molts per year and a third molt in their first year.

Trivia

 * To molt is to lose an outer layer (hair, feathers, skin, etc) periodically (exfoliate).

Sounds
The call of the male is a short whistle; the female's call is a soft quack.