In the Prairie Pothole Region, you can find the blue-winged teals in their breeding grounds in central North America. While interesting, Blue-winged teals migrate to Florida, Mexico, Central, and South America. In eclipse plumage, the male is similar to the female but rustier coloured, and with a dark green cap and eyestripe, and yellow bill. Fish is the primary food source for red-breasted mergansers. They need to eat 15-20 fish per day, which means they dive underwater 250-300 times and forage for 4-5 hours!

Redheads eat aquatic plants, pondweed, and grass. They also like to munch on snails, zebra mussels, and mayflies. The BTO Ringing Scheme is funded by a partnership of the British Trust for Ornithology, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of: Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and NatureScot and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland)), The National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland) and the ringers themselves. The Nest Record Scheme is funded by the BTO and JNCC. To dive deep into the water, buffleheads squeeze their wings and plumage close to their body to release any air, then give a small leap forward and plunge downward.

Possibly, birds have an internal navigation system that allows their bodies to follow the same path each year. It is also possible that birds recognize the same areas and landmarks each year when migrating. Another theory is that a bird’s beak will lead the way in migration, finding its way with smell. Whether in the tundras of Canada or California, American Wigeons prefer wet meadows, wetlands, and flooded pastures for their foraging of grasses and sedges. Blue-winged Teal The female garganey is like the male in eclipse plumage but paler. There is an obvious white spot near the bill. Goldeneyes feed mainly by diving up to depths of 4 m. They will occasionally dabble and upend in shallow water although this is usually only practised by juveniles.

Eiders feed by diving, dipping, and up-ending often in shallow water, foraging for molluscs, crustaceans, and sometimes fish. They can also swim underwater. The male’s haunting call carries far, while the female produces a series of guttural sounds during breeding season. The female has grey-brown to tawny barred and spotted plumage, with a white belly, and plain flanks. The head is grey with a dark smudge behind the eye. The female pintail is similar to the male in eclipse plumage with streaks and a lacey pattern. The head is plain, while the bill and legs are grey. Birds use annual paths called flyways to migrate. However, scientists are not positive about how birds navigate their flyways.The female is grey with brown mottles with a darker brown breast, and rump. The head his pale, dull brown with a white eyering and white around the bill and throat. The bill is grey with a pale central band. Males in eclipse plumage is like the female but has a redder head and red eyes. Hens lay and incubate the eggs, some drakes will guard their nest and chase away predators. Other drakes will not participate in any of the nesting processes and will instead continue migrating to their molting locations. European longevity records (collated by EURING) - note these estimate the time the bird has been alive The female is mottled brown overall with a white streak by the tail. The green stripe on the wing is less bright, and the bill is grey with a pink base. The male in eclipse plumage resembles the female.