BLUE-WINGED TEAL 



205 



paler and spotted at base, edges of both mandibles yellowish flesh colour; eye, 

 dark greyish brown Body. Back and rump, dark olive brown, feathers edged with 

 pale buffy, feathers of back with U-shaped buffy markings; scapulars, same as back, 

 but with more pronounced buffy edgings; chest and sides, brown, feathers broadly 

 edged with buffy white; breast, white; belly, whitish, mottled with greyish brown; 

 feet, dull yellowish, with dark webs. Tail, dusky, feathers narrowly edged with 

 buffy; upper coverts, olive brown, margined with buff, like back; under coverts, 

 like breast. Wings, like those of male, except blue of lesser and middle coverts 

 duller; greater coverts, slaty, tipped with white; speculum, dull blackish, glossed 

 with green, and narrowly tipped with white; tertials, brown, with lighter edgings. 



JUVENILE. In early autumn sexes are alike, and resemble adult female, except 

 that the breast is mottled and streaked with greyish brown; feathers of back and 

 upper tail-coverts lack U-shaped buffy markings, though in young males these may 

 be faintly indicated and tend to be transverse; feet greyish, becoming yellowish 

 later in autumn. During autumn and winter further changes to maturity are 

 slow, and not until spring is the adult plumage approached and, even then, the 

 colours are duller and the blue-edged scapulars of the male are undeveloped. Fully 

 adult plumage in second autumn. Wing of Male. As in adult male but tertials, 

 sepia (instead of greenish black) edged with buff; speculum, usually somewhat 

 duller; greater coverts, with narrower white tips. Wing of Female. As in adult 

 female but tertials, duller and browner; greater coverts, with much less white, 

 often with dusky spots and bars. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: General effect: A very small, pinkish-cinnamon duck, 

 marked with round, black spots, and with a dark head. Chief distinguishing 

 features (a) hind toe without lobe, (b) slate-grey head, with white crescent-shaped 

 patch in front of eye, (c) large, cobalt-blue patch on forewing. 



Its small size will prevent confusion with any of the River and Pond Ducks, 

 except the other Teals; its blue wing-patch will distinguish it from the Green- 

 winged and European Teals; its plumage and white face-patch will distinguish 

 it from the Cinnamon Teal. 



AUTUMN AND JUVENILE PLUMAGE: See "Descriptions." 



FEMALE. General effect: A very small, mottled 

 white breast. Chief features (a) hind toe without lobe, 

 (b) very small size, (c) large, blue patch on forewing. 



The blue wing-patch will distinguish it from the 

 other female Teals except the female Cinnamon Teal, 

 from which this species cannot be positively distin- 

 guished. The bill of the Blue-wing is smaller than 

 that of the female Cinnamon, and is the same width 

 throughout, while in the latter, the bill is slightly 

 constricted towards the base (fig. 42). The Cinnamon 

 is often more reddish on the underparts, but as certain 

 waters impart a rusty stain to the white breasts of 

 many ducks this means of distinction is of doubtful 

 value. The female Shoveller is of somewhat the same 

 general coloration and has a similar blue wing-patch, 

 but is larger and may always be told by its huge, 

 spatulate bill. 



buffy-brown duck, with a 



FIG. 42. Above, bill of fe- 

 male Cinnamon Teal. Below, 

 bill of female Blue-winged 

 Teal 



