The Displays of the American Green-winged Teal

T HE displays of the European race of the Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca crecca) have been studied intensively (Lorenz, 1953, 1958; Lorenz and von de Wall, 1960; von de Wall, 1963) b u no detailed description has been t published for the North American race (A. c. caroknensis) . Some displays of carolinensis have been described (e.g., Sutton, in Bent, 1923; Johnsgard, 1955), but in general it has been assumed that the behavior of the two races is identical (e.g., Phillips, 1923; Parkes, 1958). An inventory of carolinensis displays is presented here as a basis for intensive studies of pair-formation in this race now in progress. This account is based on observations of both wild and captive birds made at Delta, Manitoba between 1955 and 1963, and analysis of 800 feet of movie film. The Green-winged Teal has a highly developed “social courtship” (“Gesellschaftsspiel,” Heinroth, 1910) in which a number of males swim around a female giving display movements and whistling loudly. As Lorenz has described, many of the behavior patterns have homologues in the Mallard (Anus platyrhynchos) but all movements are faster. This paper deals primarily with the displays associated with social courtship and the process of pair-formation. In most cases I have used the names for displays coined by Lorenz.