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BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
In winter one was noted February 26, 1903, at Mesilla Park (Ford). On the 
Carlsbad Bird Reserve a few were seen, January, 1915, and others noted during the 
winter of 1915-16 (Willett). [At Las Lunas one was taken January 26, 1919, in 
nearly full adult male plumage (Leopold).1—W. W. Cooke. 
In the spring migration, on the Carlsbad Reserve, it was noted March 6, 1914, 
and 150 estimated April 29, 1914 (Cooper); perhaps 25 were seen about 60 miles west 
of Magdalena, April 26, 1913 (Ligon). [At Silver City it is found in limited numbers 
both spring and fall (Kellogg, 1927).] 
Nest. —In tules, cat-tails, sedges, or on an old muskrat house near or over water, 
sometimes a bulky mass of the surrounding plant stems, lined with dull whitish 
down. Eggs: Usually 6 to 10, grayish white to buffy white, shell “rough and granular 
... . very large for size of bird' ’ (Bent). 
Food. —Chiefly roots, seeds, and tender stems of water plants as flags, wild celery, 
wild rice, wild rye, duckweed, and pondweeds, but also grass and sedge, aquatic 
insects and larvae, locusts and other insects, snails, mussels, crabs, and other shell¬ 
fish. 
General Habits. —When we visited Lake Burford in 1904, on the 
main lake and in the marshes adjoining it we found “vast throngs of 
excitable migrating waterfowl, breaking away with a roar if a crow 
cawed, rising in thundering multitudes if a gun went off along shore,” 
and it was a grateful relief to come back to the small tule-bordered lake 
the other side of the passes where American Coots and Ruddy Ducks 
acted at home on their peaceful breeding grounds. While the Coots 
were diving and swimming “the chunky little Ruddy Ducks, the males 
with handsome ruddy bodies, sat with* spread fan tails erect at their 
backs, often with their stocky heads over their shoulders so the clear 
white cheek patches showed across the lake.” The white base of the 
fan tail also made a striking recognition mark. 
“Downy young Ruddies were seen swimming around among the 
tules with their parents although it was September, and half-grown birds 
were seen among the groups of Coots” (1910c, pp. 424-425). As we 
walked around the lake all the migratory ducks flew before us, but the 
dark horde of Redheads, Coots, and Ruddies merely shifted as we passed 
from one part of the lake to another. 
When Lake Burford was visited by Mr. Ligon in July, 1916, he found 
the Ruddies abundant. At one time, he says, “as I sat on a rise at the 
edge of the lake about two hundred of these little fellows paraded back 
and forth just out of the line of water grass. Young were common at 
this time” (MS). 
Since then spring shooting has been prohibited and visitors interested 
in wild life will now have rare opportunity to watch the hordes of water- 
fowl that assemble there to breed. 
Few birds are more worth watching than the individual Ruddy, or 
Wire-tail, especially during his days of courtship. At that time his 
bill is bright blue and his chunky body bright ruddy. Two pairs that 
I once happened on in North Dakota were in the midst of their animated 
