242 BAY, SEA OR DIVING DUCKS 



ECLIPSE PLUMAGE: The moult into the eclipse, which is only partial, starts in 

 late June and is at its height by the first of September. Plumage becomes duller; 

 head and neck mottled with dusky or brownish; black chest, rump and tail coverts, 

 mixed with brown and grey. The full-plumaged wing is renewed. 



AUTUMN PLUMAGE: From the partial eclipse plumage of early autumn, de- 

 scribed above, the adult male commences a moult towards full winter plumage. 

 The wing is as in winter plumage. During October the reddish colour of head 

 and neck is still somewhat duller than in full plumage, containing some old 

 light-brown feathers. Black chest and foreback are still mottled with brown; 

 white plumage of back is becoming more and more evident, appearing first on 

 scapulars. Breast and sides are mottled with greyish brown. By early November 

 many birds are in full winter plumage, but some still show brownish feathers on 

 back, and white tips to black chest-feathers. 



ADULT FEMALE. Head and neck, dull reddish to yellowish brown, darker 

 on crown; chin, throat and area around and behind eye, whitish; bill, somewhat 

 paler than that of male; eye, brown. Body. Chest and foreback, dull reddish 

 to yellowish brown; back, scapulars and sides, whitish, barred and marked with 

 slaty brown; feathers of back show some white freckling; rump, dusky brown; 

 breast, whitish; belly, mottled greyish brown; feet, as in male. Tail and upper 

 coverts, dusky brown; under coverts, whitish, marked with brownish. Wings. 

 All coverts, dusky, finely spotted and barred with white, giving greyish appear- 

 ance; primaries, brownish grey, darker at tips and on outer webs; secondaries, 

 with grey speculum, inner ones margined on outer web with blackish, tipped with 

 whitish; tertials, dark brown, speckled and barred with whitish; axillars and 

 lining, white and grey. 



JUVENILE. In early autumn sexes are almost indistinguishable and resemble 

 adult female except back is darker and underparts are more mottled; head of 

 young male is more russet than that of young female. Upper back and scapulars 

 of young male show light vermiculations, less clear than in adult male; similar 

 markings on young female very indistinct, often lacking. Eye of young male up 

 to 10 or 12 weeks old, generally clear yellow (red in adult); in early-hatched 

 birds, eye-colour change starts in late August; in late-hatched birds, in October. 

 During September and October young male gradually acquires red head and ver- 

 miculated black-and-white feathers of back, and by November resembles adult 

 male except back remains darker, colours duller, and plumage is mixed with 

 juvenile feathers. By spring, plumage of both sexes is practically adult. Wing 

 of Both Sexes. As in adult female but coverts of young male show more grey 

 markings (though less than in adult male), and speculum is almost solidly grey. 

 Coverts of young female are browner than in adult female, and the grey mark- 

 ings are generally entirely lacking or much less distinct. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: General effect: A large, white-bodied duck, with 

 long red neck and head, and black chest and hindquarters. Chief distinguishing 

 features (a) hind toe with lobe, (b) sloping forehead and elongated head, (c) 

 head and full length of neck, red, (d) bill as long as head. 



Superficially the male resembles the male Redhead, but in that species the 

 head is round and puffy, back darker, lower neck black and head a different 

 shape. 



AUTUMN AND JUVENILE PLUMAGE: See "Descriptions." 



