Drake Blue-winged Teal get their name from their vibrant blue upper wing coverts. They primarily breed on the northern prairies of central North America. Nesting habitat includes shallow marshes and wetlands that have grasslands near-by or adjacent. Blue-winged Teal are often the first ducks south each fall and the last to return north in the spring. They winter as far south as Central and Northern South America. A dabbling duck, Blue-winged Teal like to feed on green aquatic plants like duckweed. They also regularly feed on the high protein aquatic invertebrates found in shallow wetlands
