Ducks, Geese and Swans. 



Order, Anseres. 

 Family, Anatidae. 



Family characteristics: Water birds having bills with strainers 

 on the sides. They usually have plate-like bills like those of the 

 common duck. Strong fliers, expert swimmers and divers. Feet 

 are webbed and legs are short. Thiey live on small fishes, snails and 

 the small animal life of ponds, lakes and rivers. Many of them feed 

 on water-weeds like eel grass (called wild celery.) They visit grain- 

 fields in season to pick up waste grain. They are much prized as 

 game food and millions are shot on the prairie lakes every year both 

 for food and for sport, mainly the latter. 



DUCKS. 



132. MALLARD. Anas boschas. Nearly two feet long. 

 Head dark green. Has a white collar. Breast chestnut. Gray be- 

 low. Dark gray above. Speculum purplish green. Several small 

 tail feathers are curled. The female is dark brown above. Buff 

 breast and purplish green speculum on wings. 



140. BLUE-WINGED TEAL. Querquedula discors. Sixteen 

 inches long. Best told by its size, the blue speculum on its wings 

 and the white in front of its eyes. Nests in large numbers in this 

 latitude. Habits like those of the green winged teal. 



139. GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Nettion carolinensis. A beauti- 

 ful little duck about fifteen inches long with a cinnamon-colored head 

 marked with green on the sides and having a gneen speculum on its 

 wings. Slightly crested. Feeds in shallow water tipping up to feed 

 on the vegetation on the bottom. A good table duck. 



141. CINNAMON TEAL. Querquedula cyanoptera. Sixteen inches 

 long. Cinnamon colored head, breast and sides, light blue on wings but 

 with green speculum. Much more of the cinnamon color than on the 

 green winged teal. Most abundant in the far west. 



142. SPOONBILL. Spatula clypeata. During spring migration a 

 very pretty duck marked with green, black, blue and white. Can 

 be surely identified by its wide, flat, spoon-like bill and size midway 



