48 
DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS 
large space on secondaries; head uncrested except for the slightly elon¬ 
gated green feathers of male mallards in winter plumage. 
KEY TO SPECIES OF ANAS. 
1. Head and neck iridescent green (winter male) . . . boschas, p. 48. 
1'. Head and neck finely striped and specked with dusky. 
2. Belly mottled gray and dusky (summer male, female, and young). 
boschas, p. 48. 
2'. Belly mottled brown and dusky. maculosa, p. 49. 
132. Anas boschas Linn. Mallard. 
Male in winter and breeding plumage .—Four of the black upper tail coverts 
recurved; head and 
neck, down to white 
collar, rich iridescent 
green ; chest dark 
chestnut brown; belly 
and sides gray; wing 
with iridescent violet 
green speculum bor¬ 
dered by black and white bars ; rump 
and upper and lower tail coverts black. 
Male in summer plumage: like female. 
Female and immature: entire plum¬ 
age variously mottled, scalloped, and 
streaked with dusky and buff, ex¬ 
cept for plain buffy chin and white 
under surface of wing; buff predomi¬ 
nating on belly; wing as in male. 
Length: 20-25, wing 10.25-12.00, bill 
2.00-2.40. 
Distribution. — Northern hemi¬ 
sphere ; in America breeding from 
southern United States to Alaska; south in winter to Panama. 
Nest. — On the ground, in grass or weeds, well lined with down. Eggs 
6 to 10, pale olive or buffy green. 
Fig. 65. 
The mallard is the best known of all the American ducks, breed¬ 
ing at large over the country and migrating north and south in great 
flocks, feeding extensively on wild rice and various grains and seeds, 
and becoming extremely fat. Its large size and delicious flavor ren¬ 
der it an important and much sought game bird, but at the same 
time threaten it with partial extermination. Nature has done her 
best for it in its summer dress, for nothing could be more protec¬ 
tively inconspicuous. The female keeps the mottled disguise all 
winter. In fall, however, both old and young males acquire the 
rich breeding plumage which they keep until after the eggs are laid 
in spring. The male then doffs his bright dress and in his dull dis¬ 
guise can be distinguished from the female only by his soft voice, 
a mere whispered imitation of her loud quack, quack. When both 
old birds are away from the nest, the eggs are left carefully covered 
with down. Vernon Bailey. 
