THE PINTAIL. 783 



No. 314. 



PINTAIL. 



A. O. U. Xo. 143. Dafila acuta ( Linn.). 

 Synonyms. — Spric.-tail. SpikiC-tail. 



Description. — Adult male: Head and upper-neck hair-brown, darker or 

 warmer hniwn on top of head, with faint greenish or wine-purple iridescence on 

 sides of occiput : a narrow white stripe from occiput oblicjuely backward and 

 downward to join white of breast ; enclosed space on hind-neck blackish ; fore- 

 neck, breast and belly white, faintly duskv-barred on lower bellv : hind-neck, back, 

 sides of breast, and sides fineh- wavy-barred dusky and white ; posterior scapu- 

 lars and tertiaries lanceolate, heavily striped, broadly with l)lack, more narrowly 

 with buffy white, light brownish gray, and fuscous: rump and behind with mesial 

 brownish dusky and obscure wavy-barring of fuscous and whitish: central pair 

 of tail-feathers much elongated, blackish or with metallic reflections: crissum 

 white, separated from belly by dull white area and broad flank patches: wing- 

 coverts plain brownish gray, the ])osterior row tipped with cinnamon-rufous: 

 speculum dull bronzy green or faintly glossy with dusky on either side, and 

 bordered behind by black and terminal white : axillars white with a little mottling 

 of light grayish brown : lining of wings mottled brownish gray and white : bill 

 black, edged with grayish blue: feet and legs grayish blue: iris brown. Adult 

 female: Obscurely colored: pale ochraceous or whitish on belly: ochraceous- 

 buff or brownish bufif on remaining underparts : much darker, nearly cinnamon- 

 brown on crown : head and neck finel_\- streaked with dusky, except occasionally 

 on upper throat : breast variously spotted and streaked : sides with large irregular 

 Ll-shaped markings of brownish dusky : upperparts dusky or greenish fuscous, 

 lightly or heavily marked and striped with dull ochraceous or ochraceous-bufT : 

 wing much duller than in male, altho pattern traceable: wing-coverts fuscous, 

 narrowly white-edged and tipped : the tips of posterior row scarcely broader, 

 white : speculum dusky with faint ])urplish and greenish gloss : axillars more 

 heavily mottled with grayish brown. Adult male in breeding plumacie: Similar 

 to adult female, but wing as in ordinary plumage (Ridgw. ). Youny male: I^ike 

 adult female but more ochraceous below and more uniformly streaked: slightly 

 transverse-barred above, and wing early showing adult characteristics. Young 

 female: Similar to adult, but more heavily tinged below, and more heavily 

 streaked and stri])ed above: sfeculum light brown dappled with dusky, .\dult 

 male length 26.00-30.00 (660.4-762): wing 10.60 (269.2); tail 6.25-9.50 (158.8- 

 241.3): bill 2.10 (53.3); tarsus 1.70 (43.2). Females average smaller: — tail 

 4.00-5.00 ( 101.6-127 ). 



Recognition Marks. — Mallard size or less: lengthened tail-feathers of ac.lult 

 male: head hair-brown: fore-neck and below white (adult male). The female 

 and young of this bird present difficulties. Look first for the wedge-shaped tail, 

 and top of head suffused with cinnamon-brown and heavily streaked with blackish: 

 then eliminate other species by careful attention to speculum and wing-coverts. 



Nesting. — Nest: on the ground, usually in a bunch of tall grass not far from 

 water. Eggs: 8-12, pale greenish gray or buffy white. Av. size, 2.20x1.48 

 (55.9x37.6). Season: Jnne i-io : one brood. 



