Ring-necked Duck 55 



Distribution. — Breeding from Michigan and central British Columbia 

 northwards to Alaska ; wintering south of this to Panama and the 

 West Indies, and specially on the Atlantic from Delaware to Florida. 



In Colorado the Lesser Scaup seems to be more abundant than the 

 larger form ; it winters at Barr Lake and perhaps elsewhere on the 

 north-eastern plains, while Drew met with it occasionally in winter 

 in San Juan co. It is, however, most abundant and widespread as 

 a transient on migration, arriving fairly early in spring — Loveland 

 March 8 — 19th ; it is also reported from La Plata co. (Morrison), Fort 

 Lyon (Thorne), Salida April 17th (Frey), El Paso co. (Aiken), Longmont 

 October (Henderson), and Breckenridge (Carter). A mounted female 

 in the Aiken collection, taken as late as May 3rd at Falcon, not far 

 from Colorado Springs, was probably a late migrant. 



Habits. — This Duck, also frequently known as the 

 Black-head or Blue-bill, takes its most usual name from 

 the sand-banks called scaups or scalps, on which it feeds 

 when on the sea coast in winter. In Colorado it is chiefly 

 known as a transient, when it alights on lakes or reservoirs 

 to rest during its northward and southward journeys. It 

 is a great diver and feeds chiefly on mollusca which it 

 procures in this way, though it is also fond of grain and 

 wild rice. 



Ring-necked Duck. Mania collaris. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 150— Colorado Records — Aiken 72, p. 210 ; 

 Morrison 89, p. 165 ; Cooke 97, pp. 56 ; 06, p. 48 ; Henderson 03, 

 p. 234 ; 09, p. 226 ; Warren 09, p. 13 ; 10, p. 79 ; Felger 09, p. 281. 



Description. — Male — Head and neck all round, except the white 

 chin, black glossed with purple ; a ring of dark chestnut round the 

 lower-neck ; fore-breast and upper-parts black, glossed with greenish 

 and purplish ; below white, finely mottled on the sides and lower 

 abdomen with dusky ; under tail-coverts black ; wings with a silvery 

 speculum ; iris yellow, bill black, u^ith the base and a subterminal 

 band bluish-grey, legs slaty. Length 17-75 ; wing 8-0 ; tail 2-5 ; cuhnen 

 1 -9 ; tarsus 1 -25. 



The female has the head and neck umber -brown with whitish 

 cheeks and chin, a white eye-ring and no collar ; rest of the 

 plumage dusky brown, becoming white on the lower-breast and 

 abdomen ; speculum grey as in the male. 



Distribution. — Breeding from Wisconsin and Manitoba to Athabasca 

 Lake and west of the Rockies from Oregon to British Columbia ; in 



