Eurasian x American Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca crecca X A. c. americana), Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County

This apparent Eurasian Green-winged Teal x American Green-winged Teal intergrade was discovered and photographed by Steven Mlodinow on 10 December 2010.

Eurasian Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca crecca) usually has a horizontal white stripe on the scapulars, whereas American Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca americana) lacks this stripe and usually has a white vertical bar along rear portion of chest instead. Most intergrades have both stripes, often not as bold as "pure" birds. However, some intergrades lack both marks. The Sweetwater bird's relatively coarsely marked sides (causing the sides to appear paler than those of American Green-winged Teal) and the relatively bold pale facial lines are both characters of Eurasian Green-winged Teal. It is possible that this bird is a "pure" Eurasian Green-winged Teal lacking the horizontal stripe, but this seems unlikely.

Some authorities (e.g., Clements) consider these two forms to be separate species, but both AOU and ABA treat them as subspecies. 

10 December 2010, photo by Steven Mlodinow

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