ANAS.
Bill nearly straight, wide, height at base less than length from feathers to tip ; hind toe not lobed, but with only a narrow membrane ; nest on ground, occasionally in old nest in a tree; gregarious in winter and frequenting coasts and lakes; in summer males pass through an "eclipse" state of plumage resembling female plumage but retaining the brighter speculum and traces at least of other male characteristics.
Anas boschas boschas L. MALLARD. Fr. Canard sauvage ; Ger. Stockente ; Ital. Germano reale ; Swett. Grasand.
8 Head and neck green, collar white ; back vermiculated brown and white ; scapulars vermiculated grey and white ; speculum purple between black and white bars ; breast chestnut, remainder underparts vermiculated grey and white ; four central tail feathers recurved. ? Brown with pale margins, central tail feathers not recurved. Bill a greenish yellow, top and tip blackish ; ? greenish olive, top and tip dark horn. Legs and feet orange red. Iris brown. Wing 8 260-285, 240-260. Tarsus 42-45. Bill 52-58.
Breeds.—British Isles, Faroes, Azores ; Continental Europe, Corsica, Sardinia ; and widely in Asia and N. America ; NAV. Africa (Morocco to Tunis). Partly migratory ; occurs in winter Canaries, N. Africa, India, China, and Japan, and in America south to Panama.
Note.—A slightly different form "A. boschas conboschas" Brehm, occurs in Greenland, and is greyer above with black spots on chest and coarser vermiculations on underparts ; while in Iceland there is a more doubtful form, "A. boschas subboschas" Brehm ; this has the black spots in a lesser degree in the adult male. These spots only seem to occur in "A. boschas boschas" when passing into and out of eclipse plumage.
Anas crecca crecca L. TEAL. Fr. Sarcelle sarcelline ; Ger. Krickente ; //a/. Alzarola ; Swed. Krickan.
Above grey, vermiculated black and white, head and neck chestnut, face and neck stripe green, margined cream ; outer scapulars striped black and white or buff; tips of greater coverts cinnamon ; speculum green and black margined above rufous and white ; beneath whitish, often rusty, with drop-like spots on breast, under tail coverts black and straw yellow. Bill dark slate grey. Legs and feet greenish grey. Wing j 173-189, 2 166-186. Tarsus d 30-32, 7 Bin 8 34-38, 9 33-36.
Brown with pale margins, speculum as in Bill dark horn, yellowish at base below. Legs and feet slaty brown.
/frecds.—Iceland, British Isles, Continental Europe south to France, N. Italy, Hungary, Herzegovina, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and S. Russia ; and widely in N. Asia. Migrates ; occurs in winter in N. and C. Europe where open water remains, and south over Medi terranean Basin and N. and C. Africa ; also S. Asia to China.
Anas querquedula L. GARGANEY. Fr. Sarcelle d'ete ; Ger. Knakente ; Ital. Mazzaiola ; Swed. Arta.
j Brown, with rufous margins ; crown (lark brown, a white line eye to nape ; scapulars long, narrow, streaked black, white and grey ; face and throat pinkish chestnut with white spots ; breast tawny with dark bars, abdomen white ; flanks vermiculated black and white ; wing coverts blue grey ; speculum green between white lines. 9 resembles 9 " crecca " but speculum as in j, with less green gloss and wing coverts blue grey. Bill j black, 9 greenish grey, brownish on top. Legs and feet plumbeous. Wing ,s 187,8, 9 173-194. Tarsus 26-3o. Bill 9 (W.).
breeds.—Iceland (occasional), England (local), Europe from S.W. Norway, Sweden, and N. Russia, south to France, Italy, Bosnia, Greece, and Black Sea, becoming rarer to south ; also across N. Asia. Migrates ; occurs in winter in N. and tropical Africa, Arabia and S. Asia to China.
Anas discors L. BLuE-wiN(;ED TEAL.
Like "A. querquedula" but j has a long crescentic patch of white in front of eye and both sexes have blue wing coverts.
Wing d 180-196, 175-192. Tarsus 28-31. Bill 6 38-44, 38-40 (W.).
An American species ; has occurred a few times in W. Europe, twice or thrice in British Isles.
Anas strepera L. GADWALL. Fr. Chipeau bruyant ; Ger. Schnatterente ; Canapiglia ; Swed. Snatterand.
d Above brown, vermiculated white ; crown and nape reddish ; median wing coverts chestnut, greater wing coverts black ; speculum white ; breast blackish with white scale-like bars ; abdomen white. Brown with buff margins, wing as in but chestnut on wing coverts less in extent. Bill 6 leaden grey, ? dusky, dull orange on sides. Legs and feet dull orange. Wing 6 255-28o, 9 245-27o. Tarsus 36-41. Bill 36-47.
Breeds.—Iceland (not common), Great Britain, S. Sweden and Russia from about 57° N., through Denmark, Holland, France (rare), Germany, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria to Black Sea ; also in Asia and N. America. Partly migratory. Resident in Britain. Occurs in winter in Mediterranean Basin, and N. Africa, India and China, and in America south to Mexico and Florida.
Anas penelope L. WIGEON. Fr. Canard siffleur ; Ger. Pfeifente ; /tal. Fischione ; Swed. Blasand.
6 Above grey and white, vermiculated ; head (with few green feathers behind eye) and neck chestnut ; forecrown yellowish buff ; wing coverts and underparts white ; axillaries grey ; speculum green between dark purple bars ; chest vinous. ? variable ; brown with reddish margins, head and neck spotted, wing coverts edged white ; speculum blackish grey, sometimes almost as bright green as in 6. Bill greyish blue with black tip in 6, duller in y. Legs and feet greenish grey. Wing 6 253-29o, 235-26o. Tarsus a 36-39. Bill 32-36.
Breeds.—N. Europe and Asia ; in Europe from Norway to Finmark, in Russia south to about 53' and in Urals to Orenburg, Iceland, Scotland, and south of Baltic in E. Prussia and Mecklenburg. Migratory ; abundant Britain in winter, and through C. and S. Europe to Mediterranean, N.W. Africa and Egypt, Azores and Madeira ; also C. and S. Asia.
Anas americana Ginelin. AMERICAN WIGLON.
j Upper parts vinous and dark grey, vermiculated ; head and neck white spotted ; stripe from eye to nape green ; speculum purplish green ; axillaries white at all seasons and ages. ? as penelopc " but forecrown white. Bill 6 light grey blue, tip black. Legs and feet light bluish. Measurements as in " penelope." An American species ; has occurred rarely in \V. Europe (Britain, France, Azores).
Anas acuta acuta L. PINTAIL. Fr. Pilet ; Ger. Speis sente ; /ta/. Codone ; Swed. Stjertand.
e Above grey and white, vermiculated ; head brown, scapulars black ; greater wing coverts grey brown tipped cinnamon, speculum bronzy green with white tip and black subterminal bar ; neck stripe and underparts white, two central tail feathers long and tapering. 9 Brown, barred dull white or rufous ; speculum indicated by two white bars (rarely greenish tinge) ; bars on tail oblique or V-shaped, central tail feathers only slightly elongated. Bill long, narrow, j plumbeous blue, nail, base and top of culmen black, 9 bluish horn. Legs and feet j greyish, 9 greenish grey. Wing d 26o-27S, 9 240-260. Tarsus 8 9 Bill j 9 Breeds.—Iceland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Lapland, Fin land, Denmark, Germany, greater part of N. and C. Russia, and across N. Asia ; an isolated instance in S. Spain. Migratory ; winters in British Isles and Europe from S. Norway to Mediterranean and N. Africa south to about to' N., also S. Asia.
Anas angustirostris M6m:tries. MARBLED DUCK.
d Above light brown with marbled appearance, darker on scapulars, more ashy on primaries ; neck feathers lengthened ; beneath dull white, face and throat spotted, chest and flanks barred brown. Bill very narrow, blue grey, top and tip black. Legs and feet greenish olive. Wing 203-215. Tarsus 35-37. Bill 44-46. 9 like j but neck feathers not lengthened. Wing 195-207.
Resident.—S. Spain, N.W. Africa (Morocco to Tunis), Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, on Volga north to Sarepta, Caucasus and SAV. Asia. Sonic migrate ; occurs NAV. India in winter and irregularly on passage in S.E. Europe ; casual in Canaries and Madeira, and has been met with in Cape Verde Islands.