﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  223 
  

  

  the 
  nostril 
  by 
  narrow 
  space, 
  knob 
  on 
  upper 
  mandible 
  feathered 
  ; 
  bill 
  wonder- 
  

   fully 
  varied 
  with 
  orange, 
  red, 
  black 
  and 
  white; 
  plumage 
  black, 
  speculum 
  

   and 
  spot 
  behind 
  the 
  eye 
  white. 
  Female: 
  Sooty 
  brown 
  or 
  dusky 
  grayish 
  

   brown, 
  lighter 
  below; 
  speculum 
  white. 
  Winter 
  and 
  immature: 
  Similar 
  

   to 
  female, 
  sometimes 
  grayish 
  white 
  patch 
  at 
  base 
  of 
  bill 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  ear 
  

   region. 
  

  

  Length 
  20-23 
  inches; 
  wing 
  10.7-11.5; 
  bill, 
  culmen 
  1.4-1.7; 
  depth 
  of 
  

   upper 
  mandible 
  at 
  base 
  1.1-1.3; 
  tarsus 
  1.75-2.08. 
  

  

  Field 
  marks. 
  This 
  bird 
  may 
  be 
  recognized 
  at 
  long 
  distance 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  black 
  plumage 
  with 
  white 
  speculum. 
  

  

  The 
  White-winged 
  scoter 
  or 
  White-winged 
  coot 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   of 
  our 
  three 
  scoters 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  generally 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   State, 
  occurring 
  on 
  inland 
  waters 
  both 
  as 
  a 
  spring 
  and 
  fall 
  migrant, 
  and 
  

   a 
  winter 
  visitor 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes; 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  abundant 
  winter 
  

   visitant. 
  It 
  arrives 
  on 
  our 
  waters 
  from 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  September 
  to 
  the 
  ist 
  

   of 
  October 
  and 
  leaves 
  us 
  again 
  on 
  its 
  northward 
  journey 
  from 
  the 
  ist 
  to 
  

   the 
  15th 
  of 
  May. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  scoter 
  which 
  is 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  interior 
  

   lakes 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  is 
  often 
  seen 
  in 
  large 
  flocks 
  during 
  late 
  May 
  when 
  the 
  

   males 
  are 
  in 
  perfect 
  plumage 
  and 
  their 
  bills 
  brilliantly 
  colored. 
  During 
  

   the 
  fall 
  it 
  is 
  chiefly 
  young 
  birds 
  which 
  are 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  lakes. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  

   nearctic 
  or 
  North 
  American 
  representative 
  of 
  the 
  Velvet 
  duck, 
  breeding 
  

   from 
  Dakota 
  and 
  southern 
  Labrador 
  to 
  the 
  Arctic 
  coast, 
  and 
  wintering 
  

   from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  and 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  to 
  South 
  Carolina, 
  

   chiefly 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  

  

  These 
  scoters 
  prefer 
  to 
  gather 
  in 
  large 
  flocks 
  at 
  sea 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  open 
  

   waters 
  of 
  bays, 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers, 
  especially 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  moUusks 
  which 
  

   abound 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  On 
  the 
  coast 
  

   they 
  feed 
  principally 
  on 
  clams 
  and 
  scallops, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  fresh-water 
  

   mussels 
  are 
  equally 
  sought 
  after. 
  They 
  are 
  more 
  nocturnal 
  or 
  crepuscular 
  

   in 
  habit 
  than 
  the 
  Scaup 
  or 
  Redhead. 
  

  

  