FOOD HABITS OF SHOAL-WATER DUCKS. iy 
ity oO Currituck Sound, North Carolina, contained leaves of eelgrass. 
The fifth, from Ipswich, Mass., contained only seeds of salt-marsh bul- 
rush (Scirpus robustus). Thus it will be seen that in all probability the 
food of the European widgeon does not differ materially from that 
of its American cousin, the baldpate. 
GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 
(Nettion carolinense). 
Prats ITI. 
The green-winged teal, variously known to sportsmen as green-wing, 
‘mud teal, winter teal, or red-headed teal, has a very wide distribution, 
being found in the breeding season from New York, northern Penn- 
sylvania, Michigan, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico northward 
to the edge of the Barren Grounds; from near Fort Churchill, Hud- 
son Bay, to Kotzebue Sound; and nearly to Point Barrow, Alaska. 
The main breeding grounds are in west central Canada from Manitoba 
to Lake Athabaska, and the bird breeds only rarely in the United States 
east of the Rocky Mountains. It winters commonly in Mexico and the 
Bahamas, and rarely in Cuba, Jamaica, and Honduras; occasionally 
south to Tobago. It is also very common in winter in the Southern 
States, and many individuals remain throughout the winter as 
far north as they can find open water. It is one of the early 
ducks to migrate in spring, usually reaching the latitude of New 
York City during the first week in April, and arriving at the northern 
limits of its breeding range by about the first of May. 
The adult male green-winged teal can best be distinguished by its 
dark brown head with a patch of metallic green on each side, includ- 
ing the eye, and extending into a crest at the back of the head. It 
has also a white crescent in front of the wing and a metallic green 
speculum or wing patch. This wing patch is not so distinct on the 
female and young. Any of the teals can be distinguished from most 
of the other ducks by their small size, the green-wing measuring 124 
to 15 inches in length, the blue-wing 144 to 16 inches, and the 
cinnamon teal about 17 inches. 
FOOD HABITS. 
The green-winged teal feeds largely upon the seeds of pondweeds, 
bulrushes, and other aquatic plants, although it takes also a smaller 
proportion of such animal food as insects, small crustaceans, and 
snails. When much disturbed during the daytime, the flocks feed 
largely at night. The flesh of the green-wing is very palatable, 
being considered among the best of American ducks, although it is 
said soon to become less palatable when the birds have been driven 
to the seashore and feed upon snails and salt-water crustaceans. On 
179375°—20——_2 
