NEW ZEALAND SCAUP 



NYROCA NOVM BEELANDIM (Gmelin) 

 (Plate 63) 



Synonymy 

 Anas novae seelandice Gmelin, Linne's Systema Naturae, ed. 13, vol. 1, pt. 2, p. 541, 



1789. 

 Anas nova zealandice Latham, Index Ornith., vol. 2, p. 870, 1790. 

 Fuligula nova zealandioe Stephens, General Zoology, vol. 12, pt. 2, p. 210, 1824. 

 Anas atricilla Forster, Descriptiones Animalium, p. 95, 1844. 

 Marila nova 1 zealandice Bonaparte, Comptes Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris, vol. 43, p. 651, 



1856. 

 Fulix nova seelandioe G. R. Gray, Hand-list, vol. 3, p. 86, 1871. 



Vernacular Names 

 English: New Zealand Scaup, Black Widgeon, Black Teal. 

 Maori: Papango, Tetepango, Matapouri, Titiporangi, Raipo, He Patek. 



DESCRIPTION 



Adult Male: Head and neck black, glossed with purple when looking toward direct sunlight, and 

 dark green when looking away from it. Chin sometimes, but not always white. Mantle black, scap- 

 ulars black with more or less greenish metallic reflections, and dotted with very fine brown vermicu- 

 lations, as in the Tufted Duck {Nyr oca fuligula). Back, rump, upper tail-coverts and tail black. 

 Breast like the mantle, black, shading off into the abdomen, which is brown and white, with a few 

 coarsely vermiculated feathers intermixed. The lower abdomen is marked with coarse blackish 

 transverse barring; under tail-coverts black, sides and flanks dull brown. Outer wing-coverts very 

 dark brown with a greenish tinge. Secondaries white at their bases, forming a narrow speculum, and 

 tipped with a broad greenish-black band. Primaries dark brown at outer margins and tips, and be- 

 coming progressively lighter inward. Tertials greenish black. Marginal under wing-coverts dark 

 brown, rest of under wing nearly white. 



Iris bright yellow. Bill bluish black to ash-blue, the tip black. Legs and feet gray with the webs 

 black. 



Wing 177-186 mm.; bill 36-40; tarsus 35-37. 



Adult Female: Head and neck dark brown, almost black on the occiput. A white area on the fore- 

 head and along base of culmen, with sometimes a small white chin-spot. Mantle, scapulars, back, 

 rump and tail very dark brown, with greenish reflections. Breast, sides and flanks richer brown, 

 almost chestnut color in the latter region. Abdomen brown, but the feathers tipped with white, giv- 

 ing a dull mottled appearance. Under tail-coverts blackish brown with some vermiculated whitish 

 feathers. Wing nearly as in the male. 



Iris brown. Bill blue-black. Legs and feet as in the male (Hutton, 1870). 



Wing 170-180 mm.; bill 35-38; tarsus 34. 



