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DUCKS (ANATINAE) 



Many species of ducks in male eclipse (worn for a short period after 

 breeding), female, and juvenile plumages are similar in appearance; their 

 body feathering is patterned with various shades of brown, gray and buff 

 and black and white. Individuals in these plumages are best identified 

 to species by size, head and bill shape, and the color pattern of the wing. 

 In almost all cases males in breeding plumage are very distinctive and 

 can readily be identified from the color patterns of the body plumage. 

 The book by Bellrose (1976) has plates showing the wing patterns of all 

 species. Determining the sex of many species in the late summer and 

 early fall may be difficult since adult males in eclipse plumage and 

 females and juveniles may all be drab in color and similar in appearance. 

 Sexing and aging some species during this period may be done from wing 

 characteristics as described in Carney (1964). 



MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos; choice 54 and 54', pg. 41) is identified 

 by a violet-blue speculum bordered fore and aft by a white stripe. The 

 wing of the female Steller's Eider is generally similar except that the 

 blue coloration extends well into the tertials whereas it does not in the 

 Mallard. Mallard bills are yellow to orange and black; their legs are 

 orange. Domestic ducks have been bred from the Mallard stock. They vary 

 considerably in coloration; the extreme is pure white. Be on the lookout 

 for these birds. Mallards breed near the coast from western Alaska to 

 California; they winter from western Alaska south. 



GADWALL (Anas strepera; choices 47 and 47', pg. 40). The male in 

 breeding plumage is brown headed, gray and brown backed and black rumped. 

 The bill is blackish, the legs are orange. In other plumages the species 

 is best identified from the wing characteristics described in the key. 

 Except for the wing, female Gadwalls and Mallards are similar. The 

 GadwalTs bill is distinctly smaller than the Mallard's (Plate 13). 

 Gadwalls occur along the coast from British Columbia south, except 

 during summer. 



PINTAIL (Anas acuta; choices 56 and 56', pg. 41 ). Males in breeding 

 plumage have a very distinctive brown and white head and central tail 

 feathers much longer than the outer ones. Birds in other plumages are 

 mottled brown. Pintails are the most common duck on the Pacific flyway. 

 They breed from Alaska to California but not along the coast south of 

 central British Columbia. They winter from the Aleutian Islands south. 



GREEN-WINGED TEAL (Anas erecca; choices 58 and 58', pg. 41 ) is the 

 smallest duck; its wing pattern and bill (Plate 13-4) distinguishes it 

 from Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teals in all plumages. Green-wings 

 breed from northern Alaska to central California, although from British 

 Columbia south they are primarily inland. The winter range extends from 

 southern Alaska to Mexico. 



