BIRDS OF KANSAS. 83 



4 



Aythya marila nearctica STEJJT. 



AMERICAN SCAUP DUCK. 

 PLATE VI. 



Migratory; rare. Arrive early in March to first of April; 

 begin to return in October. 



B. 588. E. 614. C. 720. G. 292, 36. U. 148. 



HABITAT. North America in general; breeding far northward. 



SP. CHAR. "Head, neck and jugulum black, the first with a greenish gloss; 

 back and scapulars white, irregularly undulated with zigzag lines of black; wing 

 coverts dusky, finely grizzled with grayish white; secondaries white, tipped, and 

 sometimes narrowly edged, with black; tertials black, with a faint bottle-green 

 reflection; primary coverts dusky black; primaries similar, but the inner quills 

 pale grayish on outer webs except at ends, the gray growing whiter on the 

 shorter feathers; rump, upper tail coverts, tail and crissnm dull black. Lower 

 parts between the jugulum and crissum white, the posterior portion (and some- 

 times the sides and flanks) zigzagged with dusky. Bill pale blue (or bluish 

 white) in life, the nail black; iris bright yellow; legs and feet pale slate. Adult 

 female: Head and neck sepia brown, the anterior portion of the former, all 

 around the base of the bill, white; jugulum, anal region and crissum pale gray- 

 ish brown, fading gradually into the white of the breast and abdomen; sides 

 and flanks deeper brown; above, brownish dusky, the back and scapulars but 

 faintly or not at all grizzled with white; wings much as in the male." 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 19.75 33.00 9.00 2.80 1.55 2.00 



Female... 18.25 31.50 8.50 2.50 1.55 1.80 



This northern species (also the Lesser Scaup) are generally 

 known as the "Blue-bill," ' k Broad-bill" and "Black-head." 

 They breed from Manitoba north into the Arctic Ocean; and 

 are reported south, in winter, to Guatemala. I never met with 

 the birds there, and think they seldom go much, if any, south of 

 the United States. (I did, however, meet with the Lesser Scaup, 

 which is often taken for this species, on the Amatitlan Lake, 

 Guatemala, also in Mexico.) 



The birds breed largely inland, but during the fall and winter 

 frequent the estuaries and salt-water bays. Their food is largely 

 procured by diving; it consists of small fishes, mollusks, crus- 

 tacea, etc., also aquatic plants and seeds. When fat, are a very 

 good table Duck. 



In swimming the birds have a habit of occasionally raising 

 their crests and uttering a rather low, booming note, also of 



