BIRDS HUNTED FOR FOOD OR SPORT- 



91 



GREEN-WINGED TEAL {Neition carolinense) . 

 Common or local names : Green- wing; Mud Teal; Winter Teal. 



Female. 



Male. 



Length. — About 14 inches. 



Adult Male. — Head and upper neck chiefly chestnut; chin black, a broad 

 patch from just before the eye to hind head metaUic green, running 

 into black below, bordered by a narrow buff line, and all ending in a 

 black tuft on hind neck; rest of hind neck, sides of breast, upper back, 

 scapulars and flanks very light gray, finely barred with black; a white 

 crescentic band before wing; lower back brown; wings grayish brown 

 or gray; speculum or wing patch metallic green, edged below with 

 black, a bar of light chestnut before it; upper breast reddish buff, 

 with round black spots; rest of lower parts whitish, sometimes tinged 

 with brown; under tail coverts black, with a triangular patch of white 

 on each side; bill black; legs and feet dark brown; iris brown. 



AdvM Female. — Top of head and back dusky brownish, the feathers of 

 the back edged with buff; throat light buffy; wing much like that of 

 male, but wing-bar lighter; breast buff, spotted rather finely with 

 blackish; flanks heavily marked with dusky; rest of under parts whit- 

 ish; bill brown; legs and feet brown. 



Young. — Similar to female; largely white below. 



Field Marks. — The small size, chestnut and green head and the white 

 crescent before the wing distinguish the male. The flanks of females 

 and young are more coarsely and heavily marked than those of the Blue- 

 winged Teal. 



Notes. — A peculiar chirping, almost a twittering, as they fly (Seton). 

 Male, a short mellow whistle; female, a quack like the Black Duck, 

 but small, high-pitched and oftener repeated (Eaton). 



Season. — Uncommon or rare migrant and rare winter resident; early 

 September to kte April. 



