ARGENTINE GRAY TEAL 
ANAS VERSICOLOR Vieillot 
(Plate 44) 
Synonymy 
Anas versicolor Vieillot, Nouveau Dictionnaire d’Hist. Nat., vol. 5, p. 109, 1816. 
Anas maculirostris Lichtenstein, Verzeichniss d. Doubletten, p. 84, 1823. 
Anas fretensis King, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1830, p. 15. 
Cyanopterus fretensis Eyton, Monograph Anatidse, p. 131, 1838. 
Anas muralis Merrem, in Ersch and Grube’s Encyclop., sect. 1, vol. 35, p. 42, 1841. 
Cyanopterus maculirostris Hartlaub, Verzeichniss nat.-hist. Sammlung. Ges. Mus., 
p. 119, 1844. 
Querquedula maculirostris G. R. Gray, List Birds British Mus., pt. 3, p. 138, 1844. 
Pterocyanea maculirostris G. R. Gray, Genera Birds, pt. 3, p. 617, 1845. 
Pterocyanea versicolor Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris, vol. 43, p. 650, 
1856. 
Querquedula versicolor Cassin, U.S. Astron. Exped., vol. 2, p. 203, 1856. 
Pterocyanea fretensis Eyton, Synopsis Anatidse, p. 85, 1869. 
Vernacular Names 
English: Argentine Gray Teal, Gray Teal, Brilliant Teal, Pampas Duck. 
Spanish: Pato silvestre, Pato de cienaga, Pato capuchino, Patite marrueco, Marre- 
quinho de campo, Pato argentine. 
DESCRIPTION 
Adult Male : Upper half of the head very dark brown to black, sharply defined from the buff of the 
face and sides of neck. Chin, throat and neck buff, finely speckled wnth black; mantle and upper 
scapulars black, the feathers tipped and barred with light gray and buff. Lower scapulars olive 
brown. Back, rump, upper tail-coverts and tail black, finely barred wdth wavy white lines. Breast 
and upper abdomen buffy, with many round black spots and bars. Lower abdomen and under tail- 
coverts white, closely barred with regular black lines, the bars narrower posteriorly. Flank feathers 
conspicuously banded with black and white. Outer wing-coverts dull slaty blue except the last row 
which have a broad white band anterior to the speculum. Speculum glossy green to purple, bordered 
behind with a black and then with a white bar. Primaries brown with an olive tint. Tertials same 
color as primaries but with a central white strip. Under wing-coverts dark brown or white; axillars 
pure white. 
Iris hazel to dark red. General color of bill blue, but on the top of the culmen and on the nail 
black; on each side below the nostril a large spot which is bright yellow. Legs and feet olive gray to 
bluish gray or plumbeous; webs dusky. 
Wing 190-210 mm.; bill 46; tarsus 36. 
