124 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
when the Green-wing was in the air heading down for a pond and as long 
as they descended, the great bird rapidly gained on it; but when the 
pond was passed and the small duck, finding itself obliged to go farther, 
began to rise, the heavy Eagle was quickly outdistanced. 
Additional Literature.—Bent, A. C., U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 126, 102-111, 
1923.— Berotold, W. H., Auk, XLV, 170-176, 1928 (numbers of ducks). 
BLUE-WINGED TEAL: Querquedula discors (Linnaeus) 
Description. — Length: 14.5-16 inches, wing 7-7.5, bill 1.4-1.6, tarsus 1.2- 
1.3. Adult male in winter and breeding 'plumage: Head and neck dull lead color 
becoming black on top of head and with white crescent before eye; upperparts dark 
brown, feathers marked with buff or rusty; wing with large bluish patch adjoining 
green speculum framed in white, axillars and most of wing linings and a spot on 
each side of base of tail , white; underparts reddish brown, spotted with black; under 
tail coverts blackish; iris brown, bill bluish black, legs and toes dull yellow, or 
yellow-orange, with dark webs. Adult male in 
post-nuptial eclipse: Similar to female but head 
with trace of white crescent, wing much as in 
winter male. Adult female in winter and breeding 
plumage: Upperparts dark brown, feathers with 
dull buffy edgings, eye streak dusky, sides of head 
and neck heavily speckled; wing much as in male 
but colors restricted and speculum duller; chin and 
throat while; rest of underparts spotted with grayish 
brown, without rusty. Young in Juvenal plumage: 
Similar to adult female but belly often plain white, 
speculum grayish brown without gloss; feet pale or flesh-tinted (Coues). 
Range. —Breeds mainly in central North America, more rarely toward the east 
and west coasts, from central British Columbia, Great Slave Lake, Manitoba, Onta¬ 
rio, and probably Quebec south to Maine, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, central 
Utah, northern Nevada, and central Oregon; winters from southern California, 
Arizona, southern Illinois, and Delaware south to West Indies, Brazil, and Chile. 
State Records. —The Blue-winged Teal has more records in New Mexico than 
any other species of duck. [Mr. Ligon in 1916 stated that it was the most common 
duck, except perhaps the Mallard, nesting at suitable places all over the State.] 
Possibly 25 birds were found 60 miles west of Magdalena, April 26, 1915, where they 
were said to nest (Ligon). It was noted June 24, 1855, at Pope Well near the 
Pecos in extreme southern New Mexico (Pope); [several pairs and one nest of 10 
fresh eggs were found May 9, 1920, at San Simon Marshes (Ligon)]; a pair June 20, 
1903, near Mesa Rica, and several pairs on the ponds near Santa Rosa June 2, 1903 
(Bailey). Some or all of these were undoubtedly breeding and they constitute some 
of the most southern localities in the United States at which the species has been 
found in the summer. A few breed near Mesilla (Merrill), and it is a common 
breeder at Lake Burford where it had half grown young July 20, 1913. [Great 
numbers of young were found there in July, 1916 (Ligon), but in 1918, when appar¬ 
ently the numbers of ducks were greatly depleted, only four pairs were found breed¬ 
ing on the lake (Wetmore).] On a neighboring small lake, Clear Lake, it was the 
most abundant species of duck. At Dulce Lake, 6,700 feet, several old ones with 
young not more than a third grown were noted August 7, 1913, and young were still 
common at Clear Lake August 10 (Ligon). Many were seen September 9, 1903, at 
Black Lake, 8,400 feet, both old and full grown young; and some of these may have 
From Handbook of Western 
Birds (Fuertes) 
Fig. 12. Blue-winged Teal 
