Index of Species Information
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Anas crecca
Introductory
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Tesky, Julie L. 1993. Anas crecca. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer).
Available: www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/animals/bird/ancr/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
ANCR
COMMON NAMES :
green-winged teal
common teal
greenwing
northern greenwinged teal
teal
mud teal
butterball
American green-winged teal
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for the green-winged teal is Anas
crecca. The three recognized subspecies are [1,4,9]:
A. c. ssp. crecca (European green-winged teal)
A. c. ssp. nimia Friedmann (Aleutian green-winged teal)
A. c. ssp. carolinensis Gmelin (American green-winged teal)
This report will deal primarily with the American green-winged teal.
ORDER :
Anseriformes
CLASS :
Bird
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
WILDLIFE DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Anas crecca
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
All three green-winged teal subspecies occur in the northern hemisphere
during summer and in winter extend to northern South America, central
Africa, southern India, Burma, and the Philippines. In North America,
ssp. carolinensis occurs across the continent and is joined in the
Aleutian Islands by ssp. nimia, which remains there throughout the year.
Anas crecca breeds in Iceland, Europe, and Asia. It is also seen
occasionally during the winter in North America along the Atlantic Coast
[1,9].
The American green-winged teal breeds from the Aleutian Islands,
northern Alaska, Mackenzie River delta, northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba,
Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador south to central California, central
Nebraska, central Kansas, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario,
Quebec, Newfoundland, and the Maritime Provinces [1,4].
The American green-winged teal winters from southern Alaska and southern
British Columbia east to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and south to
Central America. It also winters in Hawaii [4,10].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES11 Spruce-fir
FRES14 Oak-pine
FRES15 Oak-hickory
FRES17 Elm-ash-cottonwood
FRES18 Maple-beech-birch
FRES19 Aspen-birch
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES22 Western white pine
FRES23 Fir-spruce
FRES24 Hemlock-Sitka spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES41 Wet grasslands
FRES42 Annual grasslands
STATES :
| AL |
AK |
AZ |
AR |
CA |
CO |
CT |
DE |
FL |
GA |
HI |
| ID |
IL |
IN |
IA |
KS |
KY |
LA |
ME |
MD |
MA |
| MI |
MN |
MS |
MO |
MT |
NE |
NV |
NH |
NJ |
NM |
| NY |
NC |
ND |
OH |
OK |
OR |
PA |
RI |
SC |
SD |
| TN |
TX |
UT |
VT |
VA |
WA |
WV |
WI |
WY |
DC |
| AB |
BC |
MB |
NB |
NF |
NT |
NS |
ON |
PE |
PQ |
| SK |
YT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest
K004 Fir - hemlock forest
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest
K025 Alder - ash forest
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
K047 Fescue - oatgrass
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K048 California steppe
K049 Tule marshes
K050 Fescue - wheatgrass
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K053 Grama - galleta steppe
K054 Grama - tobosa prairie
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K057 Galleta - three-awn shrubsteppe
K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K072 Sea oats prairie
K073 Northern cordgrass prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska Sandhills prairie
K076 Blackland prairie
K077 Bluestem - sacahuista prairie
K078 Southern cordgrass prairie
K079 Palmetto prairie
K080 Marl - everglades
K081 Oak savanna
K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100
K088 Fayette prairie
K090 Live oak - sea oats
K091 Cypress savanna
K092 Everglades
K093 Great Lakes spruce - fir forest
K094 Conifer bog
K095 Great Lakes pine forest
K096 Northeastern spruce - fir forest
K097 Southeastern spruce - fir forest
K098 Northern floodplain forest
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K105 Mangrove
K106 Northern hardwoods
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
K108 Northern hardwoods - spruce forest
K109 Transition between K104 and K106
K110 Northeastern oak - pine forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
5 Balsam fir
12 Black spruce
13 Black spruce - tamarack
16 Aspen
17 Pin cherry
18 Paper birch
19 Gray birch - red maple
38 Tamarack
63 Cottonwood
88 Willow oak - water oak - diamondleaf oak
89 Live oak
91 Swamp chestnut oak - cherrybark oak
95 Black willow
106 Mangrove
201 White spruce
202 White spruce - paper birch
203 Balsam poplar
204 Black spruce
205 Mountain hemlock
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
217 Aspen
235 Cottonwood - willow
252 Paper birch
253 Black spruce - white spruce
254 Black spruce - paper birch
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Green-winged teal are abundant in wetlands of the Canadian parkland and
northern boreal forest associations. They occur more often in
mixed-prairie associations than in shortgrass associations. They also
inhabit arctic tundra and semidesert communities [1,9].
Within the above associations, green-winged teal commonly inhabit
wetland communities dominated by bulrushes (Scirpus spp.), cattails
(Typha spp.), sedges (Carex spp.), pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.) and
other emergent and aquatic vegetation [1,4]. Green-winged teal
frequently nest in grasses, sedge meadows, or on dry hillsides having
brush or aspen (Populus spp.) cover [9]. Near Brooks, Alberta,
green-winged teal nests were found most often in beds of rushes (Juncus
spp.), and in western Montana most nests were located under greasewood
(Sarcobatus spp.) [1].
REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY
BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Anas crecca
TIMING OF MAJOR LIFE HISTORY EVENTS :
Nesting - Nesting chronology varies geographically. In North Dakota,
green-winged teal generally begin nesting in late April. In the
Northwest Territories, Canada, green-winged teal begin nesting between
late May and early July. At Minto Lakes, Alaska, green-winged teal
initiate nesting as early as June 1 and as late as July 20 [1].
Clutch/incubation - Green-winged teal lay 5 to 16 eggs. The incubation
period is 21 to 23 days [1,14].
Age at sexual maturity - Green-winged teal become sexually mature their
first winter [1].
Fledging - Green-winged teals often fledge 34 to 35 days after hatching
or usually before 6 weeks of age [1,9]. Young green-winged teal have
the fastest growth rate of all ducks [1].
Molting - Male green-winged teal leave females at the start of
incubation and congregate on safe waters to molt. Some populations
undergo an extensive molt migration while others remain on or near
breeding grounds. Females molt on breeding grounds [12].
Migration - Green-winged teal are among the earliest spring migrants.
They arrive on nesting areas almost as soon as the snow melts [9]. In
early February, green-winged teal begin to depart their winter grounds,
and continue through April. In central regions green-winged teal begin
to arrive early in March with peak numbers in early April [1].
In northern areas of the United States, green-winged teal migrating to
wintering grounds appear in early September through mid-December. They
begin migrating into most central regions during September and often
remain through December. On their more southerly winter areas,
green-winged teal arrive as early as late September, but most do not
appear until late November [1].
PREFERRED HABITAT :
Breeding/nesting habitat - Green-winged teal inhabit inland lakes,
marshes, ponds, pools, and shallow streams with dense emergent and
aquatic vegetation [1,4,9,14]. They prefer shallow waters and small
ponds and pools during the breeding season [12]. Green-winged teal are
often found resting on mudbanks or stumps, or perching on low limbs of
dead trees [4]. These ducks nest in depressions on dry ground located
at the base of shrubs, under a log, or in dense grass. The nests are
usually 2 to 300 feet (6-91 m) from water [4]. Green-winged teal avoid
treeless or brushless habitats [9].
Winter habitat - Green-winged teal winter in both freshwater or brackish
marshes, ponds, streams, and estuaries [4,9].
COVER REQUIREMENTS :
Green-winged teal nests are usually concealed both from the side and
from above in heavy grass, weeds, or brushy cover [9]. Cattails,
bulrushes, smartweeds (Polygonum spp.), and other emergent vegetation
provide hiding cover for ducks on water [3].
FOOD HABITS :
Green-winged teal, more than any other species of duck, prefer to seek
food on mud flats. Where mud flats are lacking, they prefer shallow
marshes or temporarily flooded agricultural lands [1,4]. They usually
eat vegetative matter consisting of seeds, stems, and leaves of aquatic
and emergent vegetation. Green-winged teal appear to prefer the small
seeds of nutgrasses (Cyperus spp.), millets (Panicum spp.), and sedges
to larger seeds, but they also consume corn, wheat, barley, and
buttonbush (Cephalanthus spp.) seeds [1]. In marshes, sloughs, and
ponds, green-winged teal select the seeds of bulrushes, pondweeds, and
spikerushes (Eleocharis spp.). To a lesser extent they feed upon the
vegetative parts of muskgrass (Chara spp.), pondweeds, widgeongrass
(Ruppia maritima), and duckweeds (Lemna spp.) [1]. They will
occasionally eat insects, mollusks, and crustaceans [1,4]. Occasionally
during spring months, green-winged teal will gorge on maggots of
decaying fish which are found around ponds [14].
PREDATORS :
Common predators of green-winged teal include humans, skunks (Mephitis
and Spilogale spp.), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), raccoons (Pryon lotor),
crows (Corvus spp.), and magpies (Pica spp.) [1,6].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
A large proportion of green-winged teal breed north of the agricultural
lands of Canada. Because so many breed in the wetlands of boreal forest
associations, populations of this species have not declined due to
habitat loss as much as other waterfowl species more confined to the
prairies of Canada [1].
REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Anas crecca
DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS :
Fire during the nesting season can destroy green-winged teal nests [6].
However, green-winged teal hens may continue to nest after fire.
Fritzell [6] reported that after a spring fire in 1970, a green-winged
teal removed one charred egg from a burned nest and laid four additional
eggs. Ducklings and molting adults are especially vulnerable to fire.
Adult nonmolting green-winged teal can probably easily escape fire.
HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS :
Green-winged teal nesting cover can be removed by fire [6,13]. After
spring burning and mowing at Souris National Wildlife Refuge, North
Dakota, there were 13 percent fewer nesting pairs of seven dabbling duck
species (green-winged teal included) along mowed and burned areas than
where cover was untouched [13]. However, forested uplands adjacent to
aquatic habitats can be converted to grasses and sedges by fire,
increasing the nesting potential of green-winged teal [17]. Large-scale
autumn burning may have a detrimental effect upon marshes by decreasing
their ability to catch and retain drifting snow which adds heavily to
spring run-off. The ability of marsh vegetation to catch and hold snow
can be vital to marsh survival [18]. Fire often removes excessive
accumulations of fast-growing hydrophytes, permitting better waterfowl
access and growth of more desirable duck foods [17].
FIRE USE :
Fire can be used to remove fast-growing, undesirable species such as
common reed (Phragmites australis) and increase desirable green-winged
teal foods such as pondweed and duckweed [15]. The best way to reduce
common reed with prescribed burning is to burn during early summer when
carbohydrate reserves in the plant are low and the soil is dry [8].
Controlled burning can be used to create nesting edge for ducks.
Removal of dense vegetation and woody encroachment is vital if prairie
marshes are to remain in this successional state [18]. According to
Ward [18], spring burning in marshlands is primarily done to remove
vegetation and create more nesting edge. Summer fires are used to
create more permanent changes in the plant community. Fire can also be
used to reduce predator activity through the elimination of hiding cover
[6].
If prescribed burning is used as a management technique, burning must be
completed well before or after the nesting season [18]. Land managers
who burn during the nesting season should consider partial burns.
Partial burns probably have less impact on total vegetation changes and
would result in higher recruitment of waterfowl than complete burns
would [19].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
REFERENCES :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Anas crecca
REFERENCES :
1. Bellrose, Frank C. 1980. Ducks, geese and swans of North America.
Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. 3rd ed. 540 p. [19802]
2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
3. Cooperrider, Allen Y.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Stuart, Hanson R., eds. 1986.
Inventory and monitoring of wildlife habitat. Denver, CO: U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Service Center.
858 p. [3441]
4. DeGraaf, Richard M.; Scott, Virgil E.; Hamre, R. H.; [and others]. 1991.
Forest and rangeland birds of the United States: Natural history and
habitat use. Agric. Handb. 688. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 625 p. [15856]
5. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
6. Fritzell, Erik K. 1975. Effects of agricultural burning on nesting
waterfowl. Canadian Field-Naturalist. 89: 21-27. [14635]
7. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
8. Higgins, Kenneth F.; Kruse, Arnold D.; Piehl, James L. 1989. Effects of
fire in the Northern Great Plains. Ext. Circ. EC-761. Brookings, SD:
South Dakota State University, Cooperative Extension Service, South
Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. 47 p. [14749]
9. Johnsgard, Paul A. 1979. A guide to North American waterfowl.
Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. 274 p. [20026]
10. Johnson, Douglas H.; Grier, James W. 1988. Determinants of breeding
distribution of ducks. Wildlife Monographs. 100: 1-37. [21350]
11. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
12. Madge, Steve; Burn, Hilary. 1988. Waterfowl: An indentification guide to
the ducks, geese and swans of the world. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin
Company. 298 p. [20029]
13. Martz, Gerald F. 1967. Effects of nesting cover removal on breeding
puddle ducks. Journal of Wildlife Management. 31(2): 236-247. [16284]
14. Musgrove, Jack W.; Musgrove, Mary R. 1943. Waterfowl in Iowa. Des
Moines, IA: State Convservation Committee. 113 p. + index. [20028]
15. Schlichtemeier, Gary. 1967. Marsh burning for waterfowl. In:
Proceedings, 6th annual Tall Timbers fire ecology conference; 1967 March
6-7; Tallahassee, FL. No. 6. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research
Station: 40-46. [16450]
16. Verner, Jared; Boss, Allan S., tech. coords. 1980. California wildlife
and their habitats: western Sierra Nevada. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-37.
Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific
Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 439 p. [10237]
17. Vogl, Richard J. 1967. Controlled burning for wildlife in Wisconsin. In:
Proceedings, 6th annual Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference; 1967 March
6-7; Tallahassee, FL. No. 6. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research
Station: 47-96. [18726]
18. Ward, P. 1968. Fire in relation to waterfowl habitat of the delta
marshes. In: Proceedings, annual Tall Timbers fire ecology conference;
1968 March 14-15; Tallahassee, FL. No. 8. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers
Research Station: 255-267. [18932]
19. Kruse, Arnold D.; Piehl, James L. 1986. The impact of prescribed burning
on ground-nesting birds. In: Clambey, Gary K.; Pemble, Richard H., eds.
The prairie: past, present and future: Proceedings, 9th North American
prairie conference; 1984 July 29 - August 1; Moorhead, MN. Fargo, ND:
Tri-College University Center for Environmental Studies: 153-156.
[3561]
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