Appendix 6.3(11) Continued 



The wigeon harvest approaches 6% of the Chenier Plain total duck kill. 

 They are preferred by hunters because of their flesh (Yancey 1959) . 



Green-winged teal {Anas avecca) 



The green-winged teal is the second most numerous species on the Che- 

 nier Plain, comprising 15.8% of all waterfowl. They are the smallest spe- 

 cies of waterfowl in Chenier Plain, and along with mallards, the most wide- 

 ly hunted. The green-winged teal is distributed from Alaska to Newfound- 

 land during the breeding season. The species winters along both coasts of 

 the U.S. and Mexico. They are common winter residents in the Chenier Plain 

 between early October and late March; peak densities occur in December and 

 January. Dabbling is limited to shallow water because of their small size. 

 They feed on a wide variety of plants. Kortright (1967) reported the diet 

 of the green-wing to include 39% sedges, 12% pondweeds, 11% grasses and 9% 

 animal matter. Smith (1975), in a later survey, noted an increased amount 

 of rice, 13.7%. Indeed, Bateman's surveys showed a large number of these 

 birds in agricultural areas. 



Green-winged teal are among the most adaptable of waterfowl. They con- 

 sume many plant species and occupy a wide range of habitats. Green-wings 

 cluster in flocks on sanctuaries to a greater extent than most ducks; rea- 

 sons for this phenomenon have not been examined. It would be interesting 

 to determine whether flocking is a response to an individual's relative 

 ability to defend itself, which might be lower in the case of this small 

 duck than for other larger species. 



Blue-winged teal {Anas disaors) 



The distribution of blue-winged teal is uniformly more southern than any 

 other major migratory species (Kortwright 1967). Their extreme response to 

 cold weather is demonstrated by their early August arrival in the Chenier 

 Plain (Lowery 1974a). During most years, blue-wings are transmigrants and 

 depart from the Chenier Plain after a month or so for permanent wintering 

 grounds as far south as Buenos Aires (Johnsgard 1975), a distance of 7,000 

 miles from their extreme northerly range. They return to the Chenier Plain 

 in February on their way back to northern breeding grounds. The Louisiana 

 Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has open a blue-winged teal season in 

 early October, shortly after numbers normally begin to decline. In certain 

 years blue-wings congregate in greater than average numbers on the Chenier 

 Plain. Following Hurricane Audrey in 1957, a wintering population of about 

 250,000 birds was observed (Chamberlain 1959). The blue-winged teal prob- 

 ably breeds more frequently in the Chenier Plain than other migratory spe- 

 cies. 



Blue-wings alter their diets to utilize prevailing food supplies. 

 Both animal matter (Bennett 1938) and grains are consumed (Smith 1973). 



Northern shoveler {Anas alypeata) 



Shovelers are ducks with large, spatulate bills which have comblike 

 lamellae around their perimeter for straining water (Johnsgard 1975). 

 Shovelers are found in higher salinity marshes than most dabblers. They 



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