Thanks for the help guys ,I didnt know you could take ducks not listed in th regs. If others have seen teal in NY then Im almost positive they were teal based on the size,so I guess theyre on the hit list for oct 10th

It could be a wigeon you are describing.... the drakes do have a bit of a pintail-esque appearance to them.... when I was up and coming I often thought we had sprigs coming when we had wigeon (both are exciting anyway and both drakes in full plummage are true wall quality birds).

What I suspect you are seeing though is green wing teal.... to a new waterfowler... a wood duck in flight can often seem like a pintail... as the tail section is considerably longer and the wings set much farther forward than on other duck species. I remember thinking the same thing 15 years ago.... once you have seen some sprigs.... especially in a flock formation.... you'll be able to pick them out quick.... there really ain't no mistaking them..... and the noise they make is just awe-inspiring.

The reason also, that you haven't been seeing any green wing drakes is because they don't really look like drakes yet. The are still in eclipse plummage.... and while if you have one in hand or very close to you it isn't too tough to tell.... at a glance they all look the same.

Interesting, there was another slightly larger duck hanging around when they were that looked like a drake teal but w/ no markings ,just sort of a blackish color. What does their eclipse plumage look like, and when do they come into full plumage?

This is from the DU book.... I can't seem to find any decent pictures on google.... the drakes basically just look a lot like the hens do in the summer and very early fall. In the next few weeks, you'll start to see all the males brighten up with color.... some have already done so. Wood ducks (AKA summer ducks) already have fairly distinct color markings. mallards tend to get theirs pretty quick too.... and you'll already see some green on the heads.




Here is a decent size comparison between a mallard and a teal.

Thanks again. Ive already seen alot of woodys and greenhead drakes w/ bright markings.