﻿igo 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Mareca 
  americana 
  (Gmelin) 
  

   Baldpaic 
  or 
  American 
  Widgeon 
  

  

  riato 
  i.i 
  

  

  Anas 
  americana 
  Gmolin. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  17SS. 
  1:526 
  

  

  DeKav. 
  Z'ool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  34=;, 
  fig. 
  248 
  

   A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  -^o- 
  i3 
  7 
  

  

  americd'ini, 
  American 
  

  

  Description. 
  Male: 
  Head 
  and 
  neck 
  grayish 
  white, 
  often 
  tinged 
  with 
  

   hui'iy, 
  thickl)- 
  speckkxl 
  with 
  bkick; 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  white; 
  broad 
  patch 
  

   on 
  sides 
  oL" 
  liead 
  behind 
  the 
  eyes 
  nearly 
  sohd 
  shiny 
  green; 
  forebreast 
  and 
  

   sides 
  vinaceous; 
  k:»wer 
  hind 
  neck, 
  back 
  and 
  scapulars 
  finely 
  waved 
  with 
  

   vinaceous 
  or 
  grayish 
  white 
  and 
  dusky; 
  vinaceous 
  of 
  sides 
  also 
  waved 
  some- 
  

   what 
  with 
  dusky; 
  lower 
  breast 
  and 
  belly 
  pure 
  white; 
  middle 
  upper 
  tail 
  

   coverts 
  graN' 
  and 
  white; 
  outer 
  upper 
  tail 
  coverts, 
  under 
  coverts 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  

   rump 
  blaclc; 
  middle 
  pair 
  of 
  tail 
  feathers 
  elongated 
  three 
  fourths 
  of 
  an 
  inch, 
  

   pointer 
  1 
  ami 
  black; 
  lesser 
  wing 
  coverts 
  gray, 
  middle 
  longer 
  coverts 
  white 
  — 
  

   pure 
  white 
  in 
  high 
  plumage 
  and 
  grayish 
  in 
  3^oung 
  birds; 
  mirror 
  rich 
  green 
  

   turning 
  to 
  velvets' 
  black 
  behind 
  and 
  margined 
  with 
  black 
  in 
  front 
  ; 
  a 
  broad 
  

   ])earl-gray 
  secondary 
  on 
  the 
  innner 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  mirror, 
  followed 
  on 
  the 
  

   iriside 
  b>' 
  fcnir 
  elongated 
  secondaries 
  which 
  are 
  velvety 
  black 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  

   web 
  narrowh' 
  margined 
  with 
  white 
  and 
  penciled 
  with 
  white 
  along 
  the 
  shafts; 
  

   bill 
  gravish 
  i)luo 
  with 
  black 
  tip 
  and 
  narrow 
  base; 
  feet 
  dull 
  bluish. 
  Female 
  

   and 
  voniii^: 
  Head 
  and 
  neck 
  ding\' 
  white 
  speckled 
  with 
  dusky 
  but 
  without 
  

   the 
  whitc^ 
  crown 
  and 
  green 
  patch; 
  lower 
  breast 
  arid 
  bell}' 
  white; 
  upper 
  

   breasi 
  and 
  siiles 
  reddish 
  bro^vn 
  obscurel)' 
  baiTed 
  with 
  dusky 
  brown 
  and 
  the 
  

   faathers 
  tipped 
  with 
  grayish 
  white; 
  upper 
  parts 
  dusk)^ 
  brown 
  with 
  broken 
  

   bars 
  of 
  rufous 
  or 
  buffy 
  brown 
  and 
  the 
  feathers 
  tipped 
  with 
  paler; 
  bill 
  and 
  

   feet 
  similar 
  to 
  male's 
  but 
  duller. 
  

  

  Length 
  18-21 
  inches; 
  extent 
  3o-:;5; 
  wing 
  9.5-10.5; 
  tail 
  3.5-4-5; 
  tarsus 
  

   1.5; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  2.2; 
  bill 
  i. 
  35-1. 
  53. 
  

  

  Distribution 
  and 
  migration. 
  The 
  Baldpate, 
  or 
  American 
  widgeon, 
  is 
  a 
  

   t'airly 
  ccMumon 
  migrant 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  the 
  marshes 
  and 
  

   lakes 
  o{ 
  western 
  New 
  York. 
  On 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  marshes, 
  Canandaigua 
  

   lake, 
  and 
  the 
  bays 
  of 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  occurring 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  

   when 
  the 
  ice 
  goes 
  out 
  in 
  March 
  till 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April, 
  a 
  few 
  sometimes 
  

   remaining 
  t 
  ill 
  the 
  third 
  week 
  in 
  May. 
  It 
  amves 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  as, 
  or 
  a 
  few 
  

  

  