204 RIVER AND POND DUCKS 



Blue- Winged Teal 



Querquedula discors 



(Anas discors, of Peters) 



(kwer-kwed-u-la, dis-kors; a-nas) 



Colour Plates Nos. 13 and 14. Downy Young No. 33. 



SCIENTIFIC NAME 



Querquedula, Latin, the name of a kind of small duck; discors, Latin, mean- 

 ing discordant. Anas, Latin, meaning duck. 



COLLOQUIAL NAMES 



IN GENERAL USE: Blue-wing; teal; or teal duck. IN LOCAL USE: Autonniere 

 (autumn teal); sarcelle d'ete (summer teal); sarcelle printanniere (spring teal.) 



DESCRIPTION 



ADULT MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: Head and neck, slate grey, with purplish 

 and greenish gloss; forehead, crown and chin, black; crescent-shaped white patch, 

 bordered with blackish, in front of eye, extending from above eye to side of throat. 

 This patch has a tendency to extend back well over eye, tapering off in some 

 cases to a narrow, indistinct white streak along side of crown and hindneck. Where 

 those from the two sides of head they may join; bill, bluish black, about as long 

 as head, same width throughout; eye, brown. Body. Back, feathers grey brown, 

 with U-shaped light buffy markings; scapulars, like back but some of outer ones 

 blue, others greenish black, streaked with buff; rump, dark olive brown, feathers 

 with paler edges; chest, breast, belly and sides, pale reddish cinnamon, marked 

 with round black spots, sometimes forming bars on breast and belly; sides at 

 rear, broadly barred with black instead of spotted; white patch on each flank; 

 feet, dull yellow to yellow orange, with dusky webs. Tail, blackish brown, nar- 

 rowly margined with buff; upper coverts, like rump; under coverts, blackish. Wings. 

 Lesser and middle coverts, cobalt blue; greater coverts, outer ones, white, though 

 ashy at base, inner ones, slaty blue, tipped with white; primaries, dark brown, 

 paler on inner webs; secondaries, with iridescent green speculum, bordered in front 

 with white, very narrowly edged with white behind, and bordered on either side 

 with blackish; tertials, greenish black, streaked with buff; lining, white, with some 

 brownish; axillars, white. 



ECLIPSE PLUMAGE: The moult into eclipse starts in June and is at height in 

 August. The full-plumaged wing is renewed. The eclipse plumage lasts through 

 September and resembles the female plumage except for the wings. 



AUTUMN PLUMAGE: Not until late October or November does the adult male 

 commence to moult out of the female-like plumage of the eclipse into full winter 

 plumage. The wing is as in winter plumage. In early stages there is a faint in- 

 dication of the white crescent before the eye; and the first new reddish-cinnamon 

 feathers appear on breast and belly. Later, when the white crescent shows clearly, 

 the purplish and black feathers of winter plumage can be seen on head and neck, 

 and the white patch on flank may be looked for; the breast and belly also show 

 increasing amounts of the reddish-cinnamon winter dress. Usually not until March 

 is the adult male in full winter or breeding plumage, being much the slowest 

 species of the Pond Duck group in attaining this plumage. 



ADULT FEMALE. Head and neck, greyish buffy white, streaked with dusky, 

 darker on crown, a dusky line from bill through eye; cheeks, buffy white, and 

 finely streaked; chin and throat, and area at base of bill, whitish; bill, dusky, 



