Common Teal (Anas crecca)
The Common Teal, also often referred to as the Eurasian Teal, is the Old World counterpart of the Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) that we see here in North America. (And in fact, it seems that the Green-winged Teal is often considered a sub-species of the Common Teal, and it is not considered a separate species - which means that seeing one does not add to your ABA list if you are keeping track) It seems that each year, we get one or two Common (Eurasian) Teal in New England.
I find that the easiest way to distinguish between the Old World and New World species, is to look for the location of the white on the wing. In the photos above, note that there is a horizontal white bar (bordered by black at the bottom). This doesn't exist on the North American Green-winged Teal (see photo, right) but instead they have a small vertical white bar at the front edge of the wing.
PS - as always click on the photos to see larger versions!
To see some great bird photos from around the world, check out:
