floraphile Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 17 Oct 2022 Baldwin co. AL; small seasonal pond in agricultural field L--Green-winged Teal? R--?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Mallard/Mottled for both IMO. Wait for more opinions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 2 minutes ago, Avery said: Mallard/Mottled for both IMO. Wait for more opinions Thanks @Avery. Do you mean hybrid of the two or not enough info in the pics to positively ID as either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 I'm seeing a pale base to the bill and white eye arcs on both birds (I think) so leaning Blue-winged Teal. More opinions required. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 @Avery @RobinHood--The undertail coverts looked pale and the forehead looked steep, so I thought Green-winged. Would thoses features be more strking if it was a Green-winged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 23 minutes ago, RobinHood said: I'm seeing a pale base to the bill and white eye arcs on both birds (I think) so leaning Blue-winged Teal. More opinions required. Blue-winged fits much better. I focused too much on the bird butts 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) Both birds have solid black bills, eliminating Mallard and Mottled. Teals, but I can't be more specific. Leaning more Blue than Green, primarily because I had a flock of Blues on an farm pond a week or so ago. Edited October 17, 2022 by Charlie Spencer 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 18 minutes ago, floraphile said: @Avery @RobinHood--The undertail coverts looked pale and the forehead looked steep, so I thought Green-winged. Would thoses features be more strking if it was a Green-winged? Green-winged would have buffy triangles underneath the tail. I haven’t used forehead steepness before, but Green-winged has a dark eyeline, no eye arcs, and usually less white at the base of the bill. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 These are teals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 9 minutes ago, Avery said: Green-winged would have buffy triangles underneath the tail. I haven’t used forehead steepness before, but Green-winged has a dark eyeline, no eye arcs, and usually less white at the base of the bill. Thank you for the tips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 10 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: Both birds have solid black bills, eliminating Mallard and Mottled. Teals, but I can't be more specific. Leaning more Blue than Green, primarily because I had a flock of Blues on an farm pond a week or so ago. Greens are pretty rare here in mid-October, although a couple have been seen in the past few days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird-Boys Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Both Blue-winged. Note Strong white eyering and pale feathers at bill base. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 56 minutes ago, floraphile said: Would thoses features be more strking if it was a Green-winged? What @Averysaid. The white/buffy streak under the tail is the most reliable marker (male, female, immature) but not always evident. The other markers can be more subtle, this recent photo shows minimal white at the base of the bill and not the most distinct eye arcs but no doubt about the ID. I find the Green-winged usually appears to have warmer (brown) tones than the Blue-winged (more grey) but varies on the lighting. Also the Blue-winged can appear longer and lower in the water. Can't beat seeing them in flight ?. Sometimes you can't tell. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floraphile Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 5 minutes ago, RobinHood said: What @Averysaid. The white/buffy streak under the tail is the most reliable marker (male, female, immature) but not always evident. The other markers can be more subtle, this recent photo shows minimal white at the base of the bill and not the most distinct eye arcs but no doubt about the ID. I find the Green-winged usually appears to have warmer (brown) tones than the Blue-winged (more grey) but varies on the lighting. Also the Blue-winged can appear longer and lower in the water. Can't beat seeing them in flight ?. Sometimes you can't tell. Great pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.50656c4b18b98c9bab5819e3f198dd32.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.