The Pintail 



of breast; enclosed space on hind-neck blackish; fore-neck, breast and belly white, 

 faintly dusky-barred on lower belly; hind-neck, back, sides of breast, and sides finely 

 wavy-barred dusky and white; posterior scapulars and tertiaries lanceolate, heavily 

 striped, broadly with black, more narrowly with buffy white, light brownish gray, 

 and fuscous; rump and behind with mesial brownish dusky and obscure wavy-barring 

 of fuscous and whitish; central pair of tail-feathers much elongated, blackish or with 

 metallic reflections; crissum white, separated from belly by dull white area and broad 

 flank-patches; wing-coverts plain brownish gray, the posterior row tipped with cinna- 

 mon-rufous; speculum dull bronzy green or faintly glossy with dusky on either side, 

 and bordered behind by black and terminal white; axillars white with a little mottling 

 of light grayish brown; lining of wings mottled brownish gray and white. Bill black, 

 edged with grayish blue; feet and legs grayish blue; iris brown. Adult female: Ob- 

 scurely colored; pale ochraceous or whitish on belly; ochraceous-buff or brownish buff 

 on remaining underparts; much darker, nearly cinnamon-brown on crown; head and 

 neck finely streaked with dusky, except occasionally on upper throat; breast variously 

 spotted and streaked; sides with large irregular U-shaped markings of brownish dusky; 

 upperparts dusky or greenish fuscous, lightly or heavily marked and striped with dull 

 ochraceous or ochraceous-buff; wing much duller than in male, although pattern 

 traceable; wing-coverts fuscous, narrowly white-edged and tipped; the tips of posterior 

 row scarcely broader, white; speculum dusky with faint purplish and greenish gloss; 

 axillars more heavily mottled with grayish brown. Adult male in breeding plumage: 

 Similar to adult female, but wing as in ordinary plumage (Ridgw.). Young male: 

 Like adult female but more ochraceous below and more uniformly streaked; slightly 

 transverse-barred above, and wing early showing adult characteristics. Young female: 

 Similar to adult, but more heavily tinged below, and more heavily streaked and striped 

 above; speculum light brown dappled with dusky. Adult male length 660.4-762 (26.00- 

 30.00); wing 269.2 (10.60); tail 158. 8-241. 3 (6.25-9.50); bill 53.3 (2.10); tarsus 43.2 

 (1.70). Females average smaller: tail 101. 6-127 (4.00-5.00). 



Recognition Marks. — Mallard size or less; lengthened tail-feathers of adult 

 male; head hair-brown; fore-neck and below white (adult male). The female and 

 young of this bird present difficulties. Look first for the wedge-shaped tail, and top of 

 head suffused with cinnamon-brown and heavily streaked with blackish; then eliminate 

 other species by careful attention to speculum and wing-coverts. 



Nesting. — Nest: On the ground, usually in a bunch of tall grass not far from 

 water. Down: Deep mouse-gray with white centers. Eggs: 6 to 12; pale greenish 

 gray (yellowish glaucous) ; egg smaller, slenderer, and usually brighter green than that 

 of Mallard. Av. size 54.6 x 38 (2.15 x 1.50); index 70. Season: April 15-May; one 

 brood. 



Range of Dafila acuta. — Northern Hemisphere, south in winter to northern 

 Africa, Ceylon, China, and Panama. 



Range of D. a. tzitzihoa. — North America. Breeds from the Arctic Coast south 

 to southern California, southern Colorado, northern Iowa and northern Illinois; winters 

 from southern British Columbia, Nevada, southern Missouri, southern Wisconsin, 

 and Delaware, south to Porto Rico and Panama and in Hawaii; in migrations north 

 to Greenland. 



Distribution in California. — Abundant migrant throughout the State; common 

 winter resident, especially southerly. Spring migrations last (at Santa Barbara) 

 from February to early May; the return movement sets in strongly (at Santa Barbara) 

 by August 15th. Sparingly resident in summer and breeding at scattered stations, 

 both east and west of the Sierras and south to Los Angeles and Riverside counties. 



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