DESCRIPTIVE LIST 65 



47. Nettion carolinense (Gmel). GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 



Description: Ad. male. Chin black, sides of head from eye to nape shining green, rest of head 

 and neck rufous-chestnut; breast washed with vinaceous and spotted with black; belly white; 

 sides finely marked with wavy black and white lines; middle under tail-coverts black, lateral 

 ones creamy buff; upper back like sides, lower back grayish fuscous; a white bar in front of 

 the bend of the wing; wing-coverts brownish gray, tipped with ochraceous buffy. Ad. female. 

 Top of head brownish fuscous, margined with cinnamon; throat and sides of neck white, 

 finely spotted with black; breast and sides washed with cinnamon and spotted or barred^with 

 black; belly and under tail-coverts white, sometimes spotted with black; back fuscous, the 

 feathers with crescent-shaped marks of ochraceous buffy, and bordered with grayish; wings 

 as in the male. L., 14.50; W., 7.00; Tar., 1.10; B., 1.35. (Chap., Birds of E. N. A.) 



Range. Whole of North America, breeding mainly north of the United States. 



Range in North Carolina. Whole State in winter. 



FIG. 39. GREEN-WINGED TEAL (adult male). 



This, one of the smallest of our ducks, is also one of the first to appear in the 

 autumn. Coues reports them as arriving at Fort Macon in August, and further 

 states that they are among the last to leave in spring. Their haunts in winter are 

 the grassy ponds and river-margins, where they often associate with other ducks. 

 Teal are generally regarded as exceedingly rapid flyers, and yet when seen flying 

 in company with Mallards we have often been struck with the fact that they appar- 

 ently were unable to outstrip their larger companions. Pearson recalls on one 

 occasion seeing a wounded Green-winged Teal fall, which, on striking the water, 

 instantly dived. After watching a few minutes for its reappearance, he waded out 

 to the point where it had disappeared and found the bird about two feet beneath 

 the surface, clinging with its bill to a water-plant. It was but slightly injured and 

 made no effort to escape when carried ashore. Gentle, beautiful little creatures 

 they are, persecuted wherever found for their choice flesh. C. S. Brimley observes 

 that as a result of draining many ponds in the neighborhood of Raleigh teals of both 

 eastern species are less often seen than formerly. Years ago they were not uncom- 

 mon during migrations, and were occasionally observed in winter. 

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