﻿194 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Querquedula 
  discors 
  (Linnaeus) 
  

   Blue-winged 
  Teal 
  

  

  Plate 
  14 
  

  

  Anas 
  discors 
  Linnaeus. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Ed. 
  12. 
  1766. 
  1:205 
  

  

  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  339, 
  fig. 
  246 
  

   A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  140 
  

  

  querque'dula, 
  Lat., 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  small 
  duck; 
  dis'cors, 
  Lat., 
  discordant 
  

  

  Description. 
  Adult 
  male: 
  Head 
  dark 
  leaden 
  gray 
  with 
  purplish 
  

   reflections 
  changing 
  to 
  blackish 
  on 
  the 
  crown, 
  chin, 
  and 
  base 
  of 
  bill; 
  a 
  large 
  

   crescentric 
  patch 
  of 
  white 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  eye; 
  under 
  parts 
  cinnamon, 
  rufous 
  

   or 
  purplish 
  gray, 
  thickly 
  spotted 
  with 
  black 
  and 
  barred 
  on 
  the 
  flanks; 
  

   upper 
  parts 
  varied 
  with 
  dusky 
  and 
  yellowish 
  brown, 
  and 
  turning 
  to 
  greenish 
  

   brown 
  on 
  rtimp; 
  a 
  white 
  spot 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  base 
  of 
  tail; 
  crissum 
  black; 
  

   bill 
  dusky; 
  feet 
  dull 
  A^^ellow; 
  iris 
  brown; 
  wing 
  coverts 
  grayish 
  blue, 
  the 
  longer 
  

   ones 
  tipped 
  with 
  white; 
  mirror 
  green. 
  Female 
  and 
  young: 
  Wings 
  similar 
  

   to 
  the 
  males 
  but 
  less 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  forward 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  mirror, 
  and 
  colors 
  

   less 
  bright; 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  grayish 
  buff 
  with 
  streaks 
  and 
  spots 
  of 
  dusky 
  

   buff, 
  except 
  on 
  throat 
  ; 
  crown 
  quite 
  dusky 
  ; 
  belly 
  whitish 
  gray 
  with 
  obscure 
  

   markings. 
  Drakes 
  in 
  eclipse 
  plumage: 
  Resemble 
  the 
  ducks. 
  

  

  Length 
  14. 
  5-16. 
  5 
  inches; 
  extent 
  26-31; 
  wing 
  7-7.5; 
  tail 
  3.5; 
  bill 
  1.5; 
  

   tarsus 
  1.2. 
  

  

  Field 
  marks. 
  The 
  females 
  and 
  young 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  frequently 
  

   confused 
  with 
  Shoveler 
  ducks 
  when 
  seen 
  at 
  a 
  distance, 
  but 
  the 
  peculiar 
  bill 
  

   of 
  the 
  latter 
  species 
  will 
  serve 
  to 
  distinguish 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  teal. 
  The 
  blue 
  

   wing 
  coverts 
  are 
  characteristic 
  of 
  both 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  Blue-winged 
  teal 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  commonest 
  river 
  ducks, 
  being 
  fairly 
  

   \\q\\ 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  State 
  in 
  all 
  extensive 
  marsh 
  lands, 
  but 
  is 
  

   more 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  region 
  of 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  than 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  

   and 
  is 
  decidedly 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  State. 
  It 
  breeds 
  rarely 
  on 
  Long 
  Island, 
  or 
  did 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  but 
  

   more 
  commonly 
  in 
  the 
  marshes 
  of 
  Cayuga, 
  Seneca, 
  Wayne 
  and 
  Oswego 
  

   counties 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  many 
  other 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  lakes. 
  

  

  The 
  Blue-winged 
  teal, 
  or 
  Summer 
  teal, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  sometimes 
  called, 
  makes 
  

   its 
  earliest 
  appearance 
  with 
  us 
  from 
  the 
  5th 
  to 
  the 
  loth 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  passes 
  

   on 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  or 
  begins 
  to 
  breed, 
  about 
  the 
  loth 
  of 
  May. 
  Like 
  many 
  

  

  