blue-winged teal (Anas discors, Spatula discors) Description Anas discors
English: Blue-winged Teal in Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Texas
Date 4 December 2010, 17:54
Source originally posted to Flickr as Blue-winged Teal http://flickr.com/photos/10017367@N03/5233076925
Author Dan Pancamo http://flickr.com/people/10017367@N03
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue-winged_Teal.jpg
The blue-winged teal (Anas discors) is a small dabbling duck from North America. The scientific name is derived from Latin Anas "duck", and discors, "variance", which may refer to the striking face pattern of the male. The placement of the blue-winged teal or Anas discors in the genus Anas is by no means certain; a member of the "blue-winged" group also including the shovelers, it may be better placed with them in a separate genus Spatula. It is not a teal in the strict sense, and also does not seem closely related to the garganey as was for some time believed. Indeed, its color pattern is strikingly reminiscent of the Australasian shoveler. DNA analysis of this species has revealed it is very close genetically to the cinnamon teal, another American teal with blue wings. Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae, Subfamily: Anatinae, Genus: Anas, Species: Anas discors (Linnaeus, 1766).
Synonyms:
Querquedula discors
Spatula discors