40 Birds of Colorado 



The nesting-habits are similar to those of the Mallard, 

 though they have been known to breed in trees. The 

 eggs, 8 to 12 in number, are creamy- white and average 

 2-20 X 1-50. 



Natural hybrids among Ducks are not uncommon ; 

 W. G. Smith (87) shot, near Loveland, a fine male, the 

 characters of which were equally divided between a 

 Gadwall and a Baldpate. 



Genus MARECA. 



Resembling Anas but with a shorter bill, not as long as the head ; 

 tail pointed, of foiuteen feathers, not as long as the wing ; speculum 

 green, top of the head white or whitish. 



Two species in the United States. 



Baldpate. Mareca americana. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 137 — Colorado Records — Aiken 72, p. 210; 

 Coues 77, p. 51 ; Morrison 89, p. 148 ; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 54, 194 ; 06, 

 p. 28 ; Henderson 03, p. 234 ; 09, p. 225 ; Rockwell 08, p. 157 ; 10, 

 p. 29 ; Felger 09, p. 280. 



Discription. — Male — Crown pure white, sides of the face, cheeks 

 and neck also white or buffy, spotted with duskj- ; chin brown ; a patch 

 from the eye to the naj>e glossy green ; fore-neck, chest and sides of 

 the body cinnamon, sorae of the feathers finely barred with dusky ; 

 lower-breast and abdomen white, abruptly black on the lower tail- 

 coverts ; rest of the upper-parts various shades of brown, some of the 

 feathers, especially the scapulars, finely barred with buffy ; speculum 

 green, bordered by black with a white patch above it ; iris brown, 

 bill greyish-blue with a black tip, feet very similar. Length 20*0 ; 

 wing 10-5; tail 4-75; culmen 1*50; tarsus 1-40. 



Younger males have the whole head and neck white or buffy and 

 speckled with dusky. Females have the head like the young male ; 

 the colour generally is brown mottled with dusky and the belly white ; 

 on the wing the pattern is the same as in the male, but the white is 

 much restricted and the green of the speculum often faint. 



Distribution. — Breeding in north -central North America, within 

 a line drawn from Hudson Bay to Lake Michigan, thence west to Nevada 

 and north-west to the Pacific ; south in winter over the southern states 

 and Mexico as far as Costa Rica and the West Indies. 



In Colorado the Baldpate like the Gadwall is most common on 

 migration, while a certain number remain to breed, and others appear 

 to winter. 



