Green-winged teal
Anas crecca
David Roche · Gardabani, Kvemo Kartli Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 34–38 cm
- Diet
- Seeds, water plants and insects
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Tbilisi; Kvemo Kartli; Shida Kartli; Adjara; Mtskheta-Mtianeti
- Habitat
- Lakes, marshes and shallow water
- Family
- Anatidae
- Protection
- Globally LC (2020)
The green-winged teal (Anas crecca) is the smallest duck in Europe: it is 34–38 cm long and weighs 250–400 g. The male has a chestnut head with a broad green band from the eye to the nape, grey flanks and a black-edged yellow triangle under the tail. The female is mottled brown. In flight both show a bright green wing patch. It takes off from the water almost vertically and very fast. It is harmless to people. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor. Observations run from August to May, with the most from January to March; it has not been seen here in June or July. It is seen most often in Tbilisi, at Lisi Lake, and in Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Adjara and Mtskheta-Mtianeti. Globally its risk of extinction is low (LC, 2020).
Identification
Green-winged teal: how to identify it
A small, short-necked duck. The male has a chestnut head with a green band and a grey body; the female is mottled brown. Both have a green wing patch. In Georgia it is seen on lakes, marshes and at river mouths.
It is 34–38 cm long, with a wingspan of 58–64 cm, and weighs 250–400 g, about 320 g on average. It is the smallest duck in Europe and much smaller than the mallard. The bill is short and narrow.
The male has a chestnut head with a broad green band from the eye to the nape, edged pale yellowish. The breast is cream with dark spots, the flanks are grey, there is a white horizontal stripe above the wing, and under the tail a black-edged yellow triangle. In summer, while moulting, the male looks like the female.
The female is mottled brown, with a pale throat and belly. In flight both sexes show a bright green wing patch. The male gives a clear, whistled "krick-krick". In a group of ducks it is often the first to take off when there is danger.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It breeds at lakes, marshes, bogs and small pools with dense cover along the shore, especially sedge. In the north it also breeds at forest lakes and in tundra wetlands. On migration and in winter it stops at almost any water: marshes, ponds and lakes, muddy shores, flooded fields, rivers and river mouths, coastal lagoons and salt marshes. It prefers shallow water to deep water. In Georgia it is seen most often in Tbilisi, at Lisi Lake. In Kvemo Kartli it has been seen at Lake Kumisi and in Gardabani Municipality, in Shida Kartli at Nadarbazevi Lake, in Adjara in the Chorokhi delta, at Ardagani Lake and near Batumi, and in Mtskheta-Mtianeti on the northern edge of Tbilisi, at Bazaleti Lake and near Mtskheta. In Abkhazia near Gagra, Pitsunda and Gulripshi, in Kakheti in Sighnaghi Municipality, and in Samtskhe-Javakheti at Bughdasheni Lake and in Ninotsminda Municipality there are only single records.
The green-winged teal map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Records run from August to May, with the most from January to March. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It eats whatever food is available: insects and their larvae, seeds of sedges and other plants, and water plants. In winter it eats mainly seeds and grain. It filters water through its bill in shallow water or on mud: the edges of the bill carry fine plates that hold the food back. Ducklings feed at first mainly on insect larvae.
It is migratory. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor. Observations run from August to May, with the most from January to March. It has not been seen here in June or July so far. It is active by day. It spends much of the year in groups, from a few birds to several thousand. It flies fast and nimbly. It rarely dives for food, but may hide under water when in danger. Pairs form in winter. The nest is on the ground, no more than 200 metres from water: a hollow in sedge lined with down. It lays 8–11 eggs, sometimes 7 to 15. The female incubates for 21–23 days. The ducklings hatch covered in down and leave the nest soon after. It breeds once a year.
Globally the green-winged teal's risk of extinction is rated low (LC, 2020). Its range is very large and there are about 2.8 million mature birds. The global population trend is not known: some populations are falling, others are stable or growing. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates its risk in Georgia as low (LC).
Alexander Abuladze · Donsky · Eric Gofreed · David Roche · Giorgi Makharadze · Giorgi Natsvlishvili · Anna Yargina · Nikita Tiunov
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor. It is seen most often from August to May, especially from January to March.
Most often in Tbilisi at Lisi Lake, in Kvemo Kartli at Lake Kumisi, in Shida Kartli at Nadarbazevi Lake, and in Adjara in the Chorokhi delta. Look along the shallow, grassy shores of lakes.
It is a very small duck. The male has a chestnut head with a broad green band through the eye and a yellow triangle under the tail. The female is mottled brown. In flight both show a green wing patch.
The teal is much smaller than the mallard. The male mallard has a green head, while the male teal has a chestnut head with a green band. Females of both are brown, but the female teal is small and has a green wing patch, while the mallard's is blue-purple.
It is 34–38 cm long, with a wingspan of 58–64 cm, and weighs 250–400 g.
Insects and their larvae, seeds and water plants. In winter mainly seeds and grain. It filters food from shallow water with its bill.
The green-winged teal is harmless to people. Globally its risk of extinction is low, and the 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it LC in Georgia.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
