224 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



First winter and summer. — New body-plumage white, otherwise 

 as juvenile. The juvenile body-plumage is moulted Sept -March 

 but not wing-coverts, wing- or tail-feathers and frequently only 

 part of body -plumage. 



Second winter and summer. — Like adult but body-plumage 

 without pink, wing-coverts paler pink and many lesser coverts with 

 fine brown shaft -streaks, usually also upper series of under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries tipped brown or with tips of shafts brown, 

 tips of primary-coverts brown and inner webs of inner secondaries 

 white. 



Third winter and summer. — Some birds like adults but with 

 primary-coverts white tipped brown, white edgings to inner webs 

 of inner secondaries and occasionally with a few fine brown shaft- 

 streaks on lesser wing-coverts may be third winter birds. 



Measurements and structure. — <J wing 36-44.5 cm., tail 125-157 

 mm., tarsus 24-36.5 cm., bill from feathers 120-135 mm. (12 

 measured). $ wing 35.5^2.5 cm. Primaries : 1st and 2nd longest, 

 3rd as long or 10 mm. shorter, 4th 25-^0 shorter, 5th 50-65 shorter, 

 6th 75-90 shorter ; 2nd and 3rd emarginated outer and 1st and 2nd 

 inner webs. Tail doubly emarginated, central and outer feathers 

 being slightly longer than rest, 14 feathers, tips rounded. Under 

 tail-coverts about as long as tail. Bill bent in middle and decurved, 

 upper mandible distal to bend flat, broad, very shallow, with nail- 

 like tip, lower mandible deeper, much grooved at tip, cutting 

 edges with lamellae fine and close on lower, more tooth-like and 

 separated on upper mandible. Nostrils slit-like. Skin of loral region 

 and round eyes bare. Neck very long and slender. About three 

 fourths of tibia bare. Toes webbed for about two -thirds their 

 length, claws flat, rounded, nail-like, hind-toe very small, elevated 

 and free. 



Soft parts. — Bill, tip black, rest, lores and round eyes pink 

 (juv. lead-colour) ; legs and feet deep pink (juv. lead-colour to pale 

 brown) ; iris lemon-yellow (juv. brown). 



Characters and allied forms. — Ph. r. ruber and chilensis inhabit 

 parts of America. Very long neck and legs, bent bill, pinkish-white 

 body and pink and black wings easily distinguish species. 



Breeding-habits. — Haunts large lagoons, where water is shallow 

 and often saline. Nest. — A conical heap of mud, made by the birds 

 and raised a few inches above water-level as a rule, with a shallow 

 depression in middle and about 15 in. across, in shallow water, not 

 more than a foot or two deep. Eggs. — Two, white with soft chalky 

 covering, readily stained and scratched. Average of 100 eggs, 

 88.8x54.5. Max.: 103.5x56.5 and 93.7 x 60.1. Min : 77x48.4 

 and 94.5x47.7 mm. Breeding -season. — About last week May as a 

 rule. Incubation. — Said to be by female only (cf. Ooth. Wott., II, 

 489), but in American form both sexes undoubtedly take part. 

 Period said to be 30-32 days, but no reliablejdata available. 

 Single-brooded. 



