[140] BIRDS OF OREGON 



purple speculum bordered above by a line of buff, and below by white; tertials with 

 broad stripes of velvety black and white; under tail coverts black. Adult female : 

 gray, with head and neck finely specked, and under parts, including under surface of 

 wing, finely mottled with dusky; back and wings more heavily mottled with black, 

 brown, and buffy; wing without speculum, but greater coverts tipped with white." 

 (Bailey) Downy young: "The downy young is grayer and browner than other young 

 surface-feeding ducks and thus easily recognized. The crown is dark, rich 'clove 

 brown'; a broad superciliary stripe of grayish white extends from the lores to the 

 occiput; below this the side of the head is mainly grayish white, fading to pure 

 white on the throat and chin, with a narrow postocular stripe of 'clove brown' and 

 a paler and broader stripe of the same below it. The back is 'clove brown' darkest 

 on the rump, with grayish or buffy tips on the down of the upper back; the rump and 

 scapular spots are white, the latter sometimes elongated into stripes. The lower 

 parts are grayish white, palest in the center. The chest, and sometimes the sides of 

 the head, are suffused with pinkish buff, but never with yellow. The colors become 

 duller and paler as the bird grows older." (Bent) Si%e: "Male, length 2.6-30, wing 

 10. 2.5-11. zo, bill 1.851.15, tail 7.159.50. Female, smaller, length 11.00-13.50, 

 wing 9.60-10.10, bill i. 80, tail 4.50-5.00." (Bailey) Nest: Very similar to that of 

 other ducks, a depression in the ground, lined with grass and feathers (Plate 13, A). 

 Eggs: 6 to n, pale greenish to olive buff, well covered with down as incubation 

 proceeds. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Found throughout most of northern hemisphere. In North 

 America, breeds from Hudson Bay west to Pacific and south to Wisconsin, Iowa, 

 Nebraska, Colorado, and southern California. In Oregon: Breeds regularly in eastern 

 Oregon, abundant particularly in Klamath, Lake, and Harney Counties. Found 

 throughout year. 



THE SLIM, ELEGANT silhouettes of the American Pintails (Plate 2.3) are 

 familiar figures of the air lanes wherever wild ducks congregate in Oregon. 

 The long necks and elongated tail feathers of the males combine to form 

 a distinctive outline that makes identification of the species possible at a 

 distance. Added to this trimness of build are the soft grays, whites, and 

 blacks in an intricate pattern delicately traced against contrasting back- 

 ground that make this one of the most beautiful ducks, though many are 

 more brilliantly colored. Seen on the water, it has an elegance of car- 

 riage and movement lacking in many waterfowl comparable to the 

 aristocratic lines and actions of a thoroughbred horse. It is hardy, alert, 

 and shy, and because of its wide breeding range it has withstood the 

 vicissitudes of agricultural development, drought, and overshooting 

 better than any species, except the Common Mallard. It ranks next to 

 the Common Mallard in importance as a game bird in the eyes of many 

 sportsmen. 



First recorded for Oregon by Townsend (1839) and noted by numerous 

 observers since, it is one of the most abundant ducks found in the State. 

 We have records for practically every county. Wherever there are suitable 

 feeding grounds and open water in eastern Oregon a few will be found, 

 and it is one of the first migrants to appear with the break-up of the ice 

 in the frost-bound portions of the State. In eastern Oregon, most of the 

 spring migrants arrive in March to remain until freezing weather in the 



