Green-winged Teal - Anas carolinensis

Adult Male: Similar to Eurasian Teal with broad white crescent at sides of breast and in front of closed wing. Cream line on sides of head restricted and lacks white scapular line. Adult female: Extremely difficult to distinguish from female Eurasian Teal; strong rust colour of wing may give indication and head pattern possibly more striking. Eurasian and Green-winged known to hybridise and males can resemble Green-winged Teal but distinguishing marks usually less obvious and clear.

Similar to Eurasian Teal, which it often associates. Close to water with suitable feeding areas.

It is a rare winter to VC55 that sometimes stay for prolonged periods, with at least one bird retuning over a number of years.

It breeds in North America and winters further south into Central America and the West Indies.

This is a rare visitor to the UK that has become more frequent in recent years. It was dropped from the list of birds reviewed by the British Rare Birds Committee in 1990 and was officially split by the BOU from Eurasian Teal in 2001.

In Leicestershire & Rutland it is classified as a very rare vagrant from North America.