THE PINTAIL. 



No. 291. 



PINTAIL. 



A. O. U. No. 143. Dafila acuta (Linn.). 



Synonym. — Sprig-tail. 



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

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

 sides of occiput ; a narrow white stripe from occiput obliquely backward and 

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

 neck, breast and belly white, faintly dusky-barred on lower belly ; hind-neck, back, 

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

 lars and tertiaries lanceolate, heavily striped, broadly with black, 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 posterior 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 buff on remaining under parts ; much darker, nearly cinnamon- 

 brown on crown ; head and neck finely streaked with dusky, except occasionally 

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

 U-shaped markings of brownish dusky ; upper parts dusky or greenish fuscous, 

 lightly or heavily marked and striped with dull ochraceous or ochraceous-bufif ; 

 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 purplish and greenish gloss; axillars more 

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

 to adult female, but wing as in ordinary plumage (Ridgw.). Young male: Like 

 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 striped above; speculum light brown dappled with dusky. Adult 

 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 adult 

 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. — Not known to breed in Ohio. 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, 2.20 x 1.48 (55.9 x 37.6). 



