Day 140: Let's play "Spot the Differences!" There are some telltale signs you should be able to pick out if you are a keen observer. They will help you tell one male teal from another.
The top photo is of a Common (Eurasian) Teal. The lower image shows a Green-Winged Teal. Right off the bat, I know you're going to say, "But there's no green on the wings of either of these birds!" You're right. Only the females exhibit a flash of green on the wing, and are indistinguishable by eye. Now that we have that out of the way, let's move to identifying the males.
The first feature you will notice is that these birds have a green marking on the head, broken by a light-colored streak on the crown. The Green-Winged Teal (bottom) has darker cheeks, but this may be difficult to see, depending on lighting. Now look at the lower edge of the wing. Do you see the horizontal white bar on the Common Teal's wing? The Green-Winged Teal has a vertical white bar just in front of the shoulder.
Although these two specimens exhibit different body colors, color is not a reliable field marking, nor is the black band near the bird's rump. The wing bar is the most reliable field characteristic, your best "teal telltale," but be warned: the two species interbreed! You'll be lucky to find two birds as clearly identifiable as these.
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