387. 2. Anas obscura, Gmel. Dusky Duck
Plate CCCII. Male and Female.
Tail much rounded, of eighteen acute feathers, none of which are recurved; bill yellowish-green; feet orange-red, the webs dusky; upper part of head glossy brownish-black, the feathers margined with light brown; sides of head and a band over the eye light greyish-brown, with longitudinal dusky streaks; general colour blackish-brown, a little paler beneath, all the feathers margined with pale reddish-brown; wing-coverts greyish-dusky, with a faint tinge of green; ends of secondary coverts velvet black; primaries and their coverts blackish-brown; secondaries darker; speculum green, blue, violet, or amethyst-purple, bounded by velvet-black, the feathers also tipped with a narrow line of white; under surface of wing and axillaries white. Female more brown, with the speculum similar, but without the white terminal line.
Male, 241/2, 381/2. Female, 22, 341/4.
Breeds in Texas, westward, and throughout the United States, British Provinces, and Labrador. Columbia River. Common in autumn and spring along the Middle Atlantic Districts. Abundant in the Southern and Western States, in winter.
Dusky Duck, Anas obscura, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 141.
Anas obscura, Bonap. Syn. p. 384.
Dusky Duck, Anas obscura, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 392.
Dusky Duck, Anas obscura, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 15.
388. 3. Anas Breweri, Aud. Brewer's Duck
Plate CCCXXXVIII. Male.
Very nearly allied to the Mallard, but with the bill narrower, no recurved feathers in the tail, and the feet dull yellow; the speculum more green without white bands, and a large patch of light red on the side of the head; bill dull yellow, dusky along the ridge; head and upper part of neck deep glossy green; an elongated patch of pale reddish-yellow from the base of the bill over the cheeks to a considerable way down the neck; a space immediately over and behind the eye light dull purple; a narrow ring of pale yellowish-red on the middle of the neck, of which the lower part is dull brownish-red, the feathers with a transverse band of dusky, and edged with paler; upper parts dull greyish-brown, transversely undulated with dusky; smaller wing-coverts without undulations, but each feather with a dusky bar behind another of light dull yellow; first row of smaller coverts tipped with black; primaries and their coverts light brownish-grey; some of the outer secondaries similar, the next five or six duck-green, the next light grey with a dusky patch toward the end; rump and upper tail-coverts black, as are the parts under the tail, excepting two longitudinal white bands; tail-feathers light brownish-grey, edged with whitish; all the rest of the lower parts greyish-white edged with yellow, beautifully undulated with dusky lines, on the middle of the breast these lines less numerous, and each feather with a reddish-grey central streak.
Male, 23, 39.
One specimen procured in Louisiana.
Brewer's Duck, Anas Breweri, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 302.
389. 4. Anas strepera, Linn. Gadwall Duck. – Violon
Plate CCCXLVIII. Male and Female.
Tail short, rounded, of sixteen pointed feathers. Male with the bill bluish-black, the feet dull orange-yellow, the webs dusky; head light yellowish-grey, its upper part and nape much darker and barred with dusky, the rest dotted with the same; lower part of neck, sides of body, fore part of back, and outer scapulars, undulated with dusky and yellowish-white, the bands much larger and semicircular on the fore part of the neck and breast; the latter white; abdomen faintly and minutely undulated with brownish-grey; elongated scapulars brownish-grey, broadly margined with brownish-red; hind part of back brownish-black, rump and upper and lower tail-coverts bluish-black; anterior smaller wing-coverts light grey undulated with dusky, middle coverts deep chestnut-red; primary coverts brownish-grey, outer secondary coverts darker and tinged with chestnut, the rest black, excepting the inner which are grey; primaries and inner elongated secondaries brownish-grey, of which colour also are the inner webs of the rest; part of the outer webs, of five of the outer black, and their terminal margins, white, of which colour are the whole outer webs of the three next to the inner elongated quills; tail brownish-grey, the feathers margined with paler. Female with the bill dusky along the ridge, upper part of head brownish-black, the feathers edged with light reddish-brown; a streak over the eye, the cheeks, the upper part of the neck all round, light yellowish-red tinged with grey, and marked with small longitudinal dusky streaks, which are fainter on the throat, that part being greyish-white; the rest of the neck, the sides, all the upper parts, and the lower rump-feathers brownish-black broadly margined with yellowish-red; wing-coverts brownish-grey, edged with paler; wing with the speculum fainter; tail-feathers and their coverts dusky, laterally obliquely indented with pale brownish-red, and margined with reddish-white.
Male, 213/4, 35. Female, 191/4, 31.
Breeds in Texas, and westward to the Columbia River, Fur Countries, and sometimes in the States of New York, Massachusetts, and Maine. Rather common in autumn and spring in the middle Atlantic districts; more so in the Southern and Western States.
Gadwall, Anas strepera, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 120.
Anas strepera, Bonap. Syn. p. 383.
Anas (Chauliodus) strepera, Gadwall, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 440.
Gadwall or Grey, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 383.
Gadwall Duck, Anas strepera, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 353.
390. 5. Anas Americana, Gmel. American Widgeon
Plate CCCXLV. Male and Female.
Tail short, pointed, of sixteen feathers. Male with the bill and feet light greyish-blue; upper part of head white, more or less mottled with dusky on the sides; loral space and cheeks reddish-white, dotted with greenish-black; a broad band from the eye to behind the occiput deep green; lower part of hind neck, scapulars, and fore part of back, minutely transversely undulated with brownish-black and light brownish-red; the hind part similarly undulated with blackish-brown and greyish-white; smaller wing-coverts brownish-grey; primary quills and coverts dark greyish-brown; secondary coverts white, tipped with black; speculum duck-green, anteriorly bounded by the black tips of the secondary coverts, black behind, internally black with white streaks, the inner elongated secondaries having their outer webs black, margined with white, their inner webs brownish-grey; tail-feathers light brownish-grey; throat brownish-black, lower part of neck in front, and fore part of breast light brownish-red; breast, belly, and sides of rump, white; sides of body finely undulated with white and dusky; rump beneath and lower tail-coverts black. Female similar, with less white on the head, the back duller and less undulated; the wings greyish-brown, the secondary coverts tipped with white, secondary quills brownish-black, inner greyish-brown, all margined with white; tail-feathers greyish-brown, edged with white, lower parts white, except the feathers of the sides and under the tail, which are broadly barred with dusky and light reddish-brown. Perhaps not distinct from Anas Penelope.
Male, 201/2, 341/2. Female, 18, 30.
Breeds in Texas, and in the Northern Districts. Abundant in the south and west in winter. Columbia River. Middle Atlantic districts in autumn and spring.
American Widgeon, Anas americana, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 86.
Anas americana, Bonap. Syn. p. 384.
Mareca americana, Steph. American Widgeon, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 445.
American Widgeon, Anas americana, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 389.
American Widgeon, Anas americana, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 337.
391. 6. Anas acuta, Linn. Pintail Duck
Plate CCXXVII. Male and Female.
Tail tapering, of fourteen tapering feathers, of which the two middle project far beyond the rest. Male with the bill black, the sides of upper mandible pale blue; feet greyish-blue; head, throat, and upper part of neck anteriorly greenish-brown, faintly margined behind with purplish-red; a small part of hind neck dark green; the rest and the upper part in general beautifully undulated with very narrow bars of brownish-black and yellowish-white, smaller wing-coverts, alula, and primary quills grey, the latter dark brown toward the end; speculum coppery-red, changing to dull green, edged anteriorly with light brownish-red, posteriorly with white; inner secondaries and scapulars black and green with broad grey margins; upper tail-coverts cream-coloured, the outer webs blackish and green; tail light grey, the middle feathers dark brown glossed with green; on each side of the neck an oblique band of white, of which colour are the lower parts in general, but the sides undulated like the back, the lateral feathers of the rump cream-coloured, the lower tail-coverts black, and those at the sides edged with white. Female with the upper parts variegated with brownish-black and light yellowish-brown, the margins of the feathers, and a mark on each side of the shaft being of the latter colour; the speculum dusky green, margined behind with white; primary quills greyish-brown; lower parts light brownish-yellow, sides variegated with brown.
Male, 29, 36. Female, 221/2, 34.
From Texas, throughout the interior, to the Columbia River, and along the Atlantic coast to Maine, during winter, and early spring. Breeds in the Arctic regions. Abundant.
Pintail Duck, Anas acuta, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 72.
Anas acuta, Bonap. Syn. p. 383.
Anas caudacuta, Pintail Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 441.
Pintail or Winter Duck, Anas acuta, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 386.
Pintail Duck, Anas acuta, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 214; v. v. p. 615.
392. 7. Anas Sponsa, Linn. Wood Duck. – Summer Duck
Plate CCVI. Male and Female.
Male with the feathers of the head and upper and hind part of neck elongated and incurved, inner secondaries very broad, tail much rounded, of sixteen feathers; bill bright red at the base, yellow on the sides, ridge and unguis black; feet greenish-yellow; upper part of head and loral space deep green; below the eye a patch of dark purple, behind it a larger patch of the same colour; sides of neck, its hind part under the crest, and the middle all round, very dark purple; a narrow line along the base of the upper mandible and over the eye, meeting on the occiput, pure white, as are some of the feathers of the crest; another from behind the eye meeting below the occiput, and including several of the lower elongated feathers; throat pure white, with a process on each side a little beyond the eye, and another nearly half-way down the neck; sides of the neck and its lower part anteriorly reddish-purple, each feather on the latter with a triangular white tip; middle of the neck behind, back and rump, very dark reddish-brown, the latter deeper, and tinged with green; upper tail-coverts and tail greenish-black; some of the lateral tail-coverts dull reddish-purple, a few on either side with their central filaments light red; smaller wing-coverts, alula, and primaries dull greyish-brown, most of the latter, with part of the outer web greyish-white, and the inner toward the end darker and glossed with green; secondary quills tipped with white, the outer webs green, with purple reflections, those of the inner secondaries and scapulars velvet-black, their inner webs partially glossed and changing to green; the broad feathers anterior to the wings white, terminated with black; breast and abdomen greyish-white; feathers under the wings yellowish-grey, minutely undulated with black, and tipped with a white and two black bands; lower wing-coverts and axillar feathers white, barred with greyish-brown; lower tail-coverts dull greyish-brown. Female with the bill blackish-brown, the feet dull green; upper part of head dusky glossed with green, sides of head and neck, with hind part of latter, light brownish-grey; throat white, but without the lateral processes; fore part of neck below and sides light yellowish-brown, mottled with dark greyish-brown, as are the sides under the wings; breast and abdomen white, the former spotted with brown; hind neck, back, and rump dark brown, glossed with green and purple; wings as in the male, but the speculum less, and the secondaries externally faint reddish-purple, the velvet-black of the male diminished to a few narrow markings; tail dark brown, glossed with green; lower tail-coverts pale greyish-brown, mottled with white.
Male, 201/2, 28. Female, 191/2.
Breeds throughout the country from Texas to the Columbia, and eastward to Nova Scotia. Fur Countries. Accumulates in the Southern Districts in winter.
Summer Duck or Wood Duck, Anas sponsa, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. viii. p. 97.
Dendronessa sponsa, Summer Duck, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 446.
Summer or Wood Duck, Anas sponsa, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 394.
Wood Duck, Anas sponsa, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 52; v. v. p. 618.
393. 8. Anas Carolinensis, Steph. American Green-winged Teal
Plate CCXXVIII. Male and Female.
Male with the feathers of the head and upper part of hind neck elongated; tail short, acuminate, of sixteen feathers; bill black, feet light bluish-grey; head and upper part of neck chestnut-red; a broad band, narrowing backwards, from the eye, down the back of the neck, deep shining green, edged with black below, under which is a whitish line, meeting before the eye another that curves forward and downward to the angle of the mouth; chin brownish-black, as are the feathers at the base of the upper mandible; upper parts and flanks beautifully undulated with brownish-black and white lines; anterior to the wings a short broad transverse band of white; wings brownish-grey; speculum in its lower half velvet-black, the upper bright green, changing to purple, and edged above with black, behind margined with white, before with reddish-white; tail brownish-grey, the feathers margined with paler; upper coverts brownish-black, edged with light yellowish-grey; lower part of neck partly barred as behind, yellowish-white and spotted with black, as is the fore part of the breast; abdomen white, faintly barred with grey; a patch of black under the tail; lateral tail-coverts cream-coloured, the larger black, with broad white margins and tips. Female with the head and neck streaked with dark brown and light red, the fore neck whitish, the upper parts mottled with dark brown, the anterior feathers barred, the posterior margined with yellowish-white; the speculum less extensive; the lower part of fore neck tinged with yellowish-red, and mottled with dark brown, as are the sides; the rest of the lower parts white. This species differs from Anas Crecca chiefly in having a white band before the wing, which the European bird has not, while the latter has the greater part of the outer webs of most of the scapulars white, there being none of that colour on those of our bird.
Male, 143/4, 24. Female, 133/4, 221/2.
Dispersed throughout the country during autumn and spring. Extremely abundant during winter in all the Southern States and Texas. Breeds sparingly along the Great Lakes, and far north.
Green-winged Teal, Anas Crecca, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 101.
Anas Crecca, Bonap. Syn. p. 386.
American Teal, Anas Crecca, var. Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 400.
Anas Crecca, Green-winged Teal, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 400.
Green-winged Teal, Anas Crecca, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 218; v. v. p. 616.
394. 9. Anas discors, Linn. Blue-winged Teal
Plate CCCXIII. Male and Female.
Male with the feathers of the head and hind neck slightly elongated, the tail rounded, acuminate, of fourteen feathers; bill bluish-black; feet dull yellow; upper part of head black; a semilunar white patch on the side of the head before the eye, margined before and behind with black, the rest of the head and the anterior parts of the neck purplish-blue, with purplish-red reflections; lower hind neck and fore part of back brownish-black, glossed with green, each feather with a curved band of pale reddish-buff, and a line or band of the same in the centre, the hind part of the back greenish-brown, the feathers edged with paler; smaller wing-coverts light blue; alula, primary coverts, and primary quills greyish-brown, edged with pale bluish; outer secondaries of the same colour, those of the speculum duck-green, changing to blue and bronze, with a narrow line of white along their terminal margin; the inner greenish-black on the outer web, greenish-brown on the inner, with a central line and narrow external margin of pale reddish-buff; the more elongated scapulars similar, but some of them margined with greenish-blue; secondary coverts greenish-brown, the outer tipped with white, the inner with blue; tail-feathers chocolate-brown, slightly glossed with green, their margin buffy; lower parts pale reddish-orange, shaded on the breast with purplish-red, and thickly spotted with black, the number of spots on each feather varying from eight to twenty-five, those on the upper and hind parts of the sides running into transverse bars; axillar feathers, some of the lower wing-coverts, and a patch on the side of the rump pure white; lower tail-coverts brownish-black. Female with the upper parts blackish-brown, the lower lighter, the feathers edged with greyish-white, the throat and lore whitish; the smaller wing-coverts light blue, but the scapulars without that colour.
Male, 16, 311/4. Female, 15, 24.
Breeds in Texas and westward. Great Lakes. Fur Countries. Columbia River. Very abundant in autumn and spring in the Middle Atlantic Districts, as well as in the interior. Abundant also in all the Southern States.
Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 74.
Anas discors, Bonap. Syn. p. 385.
Anas discors, Blue-winged Teal, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 444.
Blue-winged Teal, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 397.
Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 111.
395. 10. Anas clypeata, Linn. Shoveller Duck. – Micoine
Plate CCCXXVII. Male and Female.
Male with the bill longer than the head, depressed and much widened towards the end, where its breadth is doubled; laminæ of the upper mandible very numerous, prolonged beyond the edges and tapering to a point, unless at the commencement of its broadest part; tail rounded, of fourteen acute feathers; bill greyish-black; feet vermilion; head and upper part of neck deep green with purple reflections; a longitudinal band on the hind neck and the back, greyish-brown, the feathers edged with paler; rump and upper tail-coverts greenish-black; anterior scapulars white, posterior light blue on the outer web, longitudinally banded with white and greenish-black on the inner; smaller wing-coverts light blue; alula, primary coverts and quills blackish-brown, their shafts white; outer secondaries greyish-brown, eight of them externally of a rich duck-green, the inner greenish-black, with a longitudinal white streak; secondary coverts broadly tipped with white; tail-feathers greyish-brown, margined with reddish-white; lower part of neck pure white; breast and middle part of abdomen dull purplish-chestnut; a large patch of white on each side of the rump, with a band of the same towards the tail; lower tail-coverts greenish-black; axillaries and lower wing-coverts pure white. Female with the bill much less dilated, and the laminæ less elongated; the bill dull green; feathers of the upper parts blackish-brown, edged with light reddish-brown; throat and sides of the head light reddish-brown, which is the prevailing colour over the lower part of the neck, part of the breast, and the sides, of which, however, the feathers are edged with dusky, middle of breast whitish; smaller wing-coverts dull brownish-grey; alula and primaries as in the male; inner secondaries brownish-black, speculum as in the male but paler, and changing to blue.
Male, 201/2, 311/2. Female, 17, 291/2.
Breeds abundantly in the Texas, westward to the Columbia, and Fur Countries. During winter from the Middle Atlantic Districts to Texas. Common.
Shoveller, Anas clypeata, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. viii. p. 45.
Anas clypeata, Bonap. Syn. p. 382.
Anas clypeata, Shoveller, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 439.
Shoveller, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 383.
Shoveller Duck, Anas clypeata, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 241.