Blue-winged Teal
Spatula discors
Confirmed against an official or primary source as of the date shown.
Migration-timing and September Teal season facts directly confirmed via a live DWR fetch (the same source backing this project's September Teal Season HuntingSeason record). Identification facts corroborated via Cornell's All About Birds and Project Upland.
Legal status: A legal migratory game bird in Virginia. During the dedicated September Teal season, only blue-winged and green-winged teal (any combination) count toward that season's specific bag limit; during the regular duck season it falls under the general duck bag limit. See the September Teal Season and Duck Season records for current limits.
One of the earliest fall migrants of any North American duck — often gone from Virginia well before most other ducks arrive, and the co-namesake of the state's own September Teal season alongside the smaller green-winged teal.
Field marks
- A small dabbling duck, larger than a green-winged teal but still dwarfed by a mallard.
- In flight, both sexes show a bold powder-blue patch on the upperwing coverts — the source of the name.
Male, female, and seasonal plumage
- Male
- Brown body with dark speckling on the breast, a slaty-blue head, and a bold white crescent behind the bill; small white flank patch in front of a black rear.
- Female
- Cold, patterned brown overall, closely resembling an eclipse male.
- Eclipse plumage
- Resembles the female — cold, patterned brown, without the head crescent.
- Habitat
- Shallow marshes, ponds, and flooded fields — similar shallow-water habitat preference to green-winged teal.
Migration & seasonal context
One of the earliest-departing breeding ducks continent-wide, often leaving breeding areas in August or very early September; Virginia is a real hotspot for this early migration, which is exactly why the state's own September Teal season (see the Species page's regulation notes) is timed for mid-to-late September rather than the main autumn duck season.
Similar species — check before you shoot
Identification alone never establishes that a bird may legally be taken. Confirm species (and sex, where a sub-limit depends on it) before shooting.
This page is educational and does not certify that any specific bird may be legally taken at any specific time or place. Always confirm the current season, bag limit, and permit requirements at Licensing & Regulations →