An Introduction to the Birds of Pennsylvania

by George Miksch Sutton

BIRD-MIGRATION IN PENNSYLVANIA

Some of our winter birds spend the year round in one region. Certain of them, like the Song Sparrow and Crow, migrate to an extent, the nesting individuals moving southward during winter, their place being taken by other individuals of the same species from farther north. Some winter birds, such as the Junco, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, and Tree Sparrow, visit us from the north and return to their Canadian nesting-ground with the arrival of spring. Most of our familiar summer birds spend the winter to the southward, many of them in South America. They come to us for a few months each year for the sole purpose of bringing forth their young. Many species of birds pass through Pennsylvania en route from their home in the south to their nesting-grounds in the north, and back again in the fall.

By far the greater number of species migrate to an extent. The phenomenon of bird-migration has caused many a student to wonder. How did such a tremendous annual movement originate? How do the birds endure their great flights across bodies of water?

The probability is that the migration of birds developed in past centuries as the food-supply in the tropics became insufficient for all the nesting birds which tried to bring forth their young there. Urged by the need for solitude and a good food-supply, certain birds pushed out from the ancestral range and established a new summer home. After the young were reared, instinct drew them back to the region which was familiar to them, and so great migration routes have developed. Today the tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird rears his young in our woodlands, then returns to South America with the young birds. Our Yellow Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Purple Martin, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, and many others, all go to South America.

Food-conditions, no doubt, have something to do with migration movements. Birds are well clothed with feathers, to be sure, but many of them depend on an insect diet, such as would be difficult to secure during cold winters. Some of our birds actually do not migrate if a food-supply is available.

Most of the smaller birds migrate at night, following streams or mountain ranges. Swallows and hawks usually migrate by day, ducks and geese by both day and night. The Ohio, Delaware, and Susquehanna river valleys are important routes of migration. The shore of Lake Erie is a resting-ground for birds which have flown over this large body of water. In fall, at Presque Isle, the trees may be alive with birds which have just made the flight. The Atlantic Coast is an important route of migration for many waterbirds. Since Pennsylvania has no salt-water shore-line, we do not find some species which are to be found along the coast of New Jersey and Delaware.

Many birds which occur in abundance at Erie, in fall, rest there until they are able to take another flight; then they start southward for a feeding or resting-ground south of Pennsylvania, and therefore skip over most of the Commonwealth.

The distribution of birds and the constancy of their migration routes is a source of much wonder to all of us. Why should the two Palm Warblers, for instance, so invariably be found each year, one to the eastward, one to the westward of the mountains? Why should some birds be here in fall and not in spring? Why should others be so variable in numbers? If you keep careful notes upon the migratory birds, you may eventually help to solve some of these problems.

HORNED GREBE
Colymbus auritus Linnæus

Other Names.—Dipper; Hell-Diver.

Description.—Neck long; no tail-feathers; toes flat and broad, feet at rear of body; sexes similar. Adult in spring: Large, puffy head, black, with stripe and silken plumes behind eye buffy; plumage of back blackish edged with gray; secondaries white; neck, breast, and sides chestnut; belly silvery white; eyes bright pink, the pupil encircled with a white ring. Immature birds and adults in winter: Grayish black above, silvery white beneath, grayish on the throat, with white cheek-patches which nearly meet on nape. Length: 13½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant throughout the Commonwealth from March 20 to May 10 and from October 1 to November 30; occasional in winter when water is free of ice.

Horned Grebe, Winter Plumage

The white on the sides of the head and the white wing-patches distinguish this species in winter plumage from the Pied-billed Grebe; the gay spring plumage of the Horned Grebe is unmistakable. Look for this bright-eyed diver along the larger waterways. Its ability in swimming under water causes it to evade its enemies by disappearing beneath the surface rather than by flying. Grebes have the interesting habit of swallowing their own feathers as they moult, or as they pluck them out.

Holbœll’s Grebe (Colymbus holbœllii), a much larger bird, is very rare in Pennsylvania. In spring plumage it has a red-brown neck. It is about twice as large as either the Horned or Pied-billed Grebe and has a proportionately heavier and larger bill.

PIED-BILLED GREBE
Podilymbus podiceps podiceps (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Dabchick; Hell-Diver; Dipper; Dipper-Duck (erroneous).

Description.—Sexes similar. Adults in summer: Glossy, dark brown above; throat black; neck, breast, and sides grayish, washed with brownish and indistinctly mottled with blackish; lower breast and belly glossy white; black band across bill. Immature birds and adults in winter: Similar, but without black on throat and bill. Length: 13½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Rare as a summer resident, chiefly because there are so few lakes and marshes suited to its nesting; fairly common as a migrant from April 1 to May 15 and from August 25 to October 30.

Nest.—Flat, composed of decaying vegetation, floating among water-weeds or anchored by plants which are attached to the bottom. Eggs: 4 to 7, dull white, usually so heavily stained as to be brownish in appearance.

Pied-billed Grebe, Breeding Plumage

The Pied-billed Grebe is such an excellent diver and can so artfully escape detection by swimming beneath the surface of the water, with only its bill exposed, that it is often a difficult bird to observe. On land it is virtually helpless. The shortness of the body of the swimming grebe makes it comparatively easy to identify, and the unmarked wings distinguish this species from the Horned Grebe. The Pied-billed Grebe will frequently be seen along smaller streams and in little ponds.

LOON
Gavia immer immer (Brünnich)

Other Names.—Great Northern Diver; Loom.

Description.—Size large; bill long and sharp; tail very short, with legs sticking out behind. Adults in spring: Upperparts black, with bluish and greenish reflections; patches on throat and sides of neck streaked with white; back and wings marked regularly with rows of white squares; underparts silvery white; sides black, spotted finely with white; eyes red. Immature birds and adults in winter: Upperparts blackish, margined with gray and without white spots; throat and neck grayish; underparts white. Length: about 30 inches.

Loon, Breeding Plumage

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant along the larger lakes and waterways from March 15 to May 10 and from October 1 to December 15; occasional in winter when the water is free of ice.

The Loon is at perfect ease in the water; on land it shuffles along, using its wings as feet, and it cannot rise in flight from the ground. It lives almost altogether on fish which it captures under water and swallows entire. As a rule, it is to be seen far out from shore, floating quietly. Easily it slips under the water, perhaps to reappear a hundred yards or more from the point at which it went down. The weird, laughing cry, which is famous in literature, is not often heard in Pennsylvania, since the birds do not nest here.

In the hand, the Loon is easily recognized by its striking coloration in spring; or in winter by its long, sharp bill and its large, webbed feet; at a distance, in the water, it may be confused with a cormorant, which has a hooked bill and a rather long tail, or with some of the larger ducks which have shorter, more stubby bills.

The smaller Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), usually a rare bird in Pennsylvania, is found during winter or early spring. In winter the back is gray, flecked with white; in spring there is a triangular patch of red-brown on the lower throat; it is always white below.

HERRING GULL
Larus argentatus argentatus Pontoppidan

Other Names.—Sea Gull; Gray Gull.

Description.—Sexes similar. Adults in summer: White, with pearl-gray back and wings; tips of wings black with white spots; bill yellow with orange spot near tip of lower mandible; feet pale pink; eyes pale yellow. Adults in winter: Similar, with gray spots on head and neck. Immature birds: Dark gray-brown at a distance, with blackish bill and dark brown eyes; in the hand the upper-parts are found to be dark gray, considerably marked with buffy. The acquiring of fully adult plumage requires several moults. Birds which are not fully adult may have black-tipped, white tails. Young in their first flight plumage are darker than older individuals. Length: 24 inches.

Herring Gull, Breeding Plumage

Range in Pennsylvania.—A somewhat irregular migrant and winter resident throughout, save at Erie, where it is common during summer, though it does not, apparently, nest there. In the interior it appears in spring as soon as the ice breaks up and is usually noted along the larger waterways.

Large gulls seen in Pennsylvania are usually of this species. Their long wings and graceful flight mark them at great distance. The smaller Ring-billed Gull, which is not easy to distinguish from this species in the field, has greenish yellow feet and a black band across the bill. Herring Gulls are often abundant about the harbor at Erie.

RING-BILLED GULL
Larus delawarensis Ord

Description.—Sexes similar. Adults in summer: Like the Herring Gull, but much smaller, with greenish yellow bill crossed near tip by black band, and with greenish yellow feet. In winter the head and neck are spotted with gray. Immature: Gray-brown; tail white, with black band near tip; end of bill black. Length: 18 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An irregular migrant in February, March, and April, and in October and November, sometimes appearing in flocks; occasional in winter.

The Ring-billed Gull should be identified in the field with a glass. It is much like the Herring Gull in general appearance, and, unless it be compared directly with the larger bird, may pass undetected. Remember the yellowish feet and the black band across the bill.

BONAPARTE’S GULL
Chroicocephalus philadelphia (Ord)

Description.—Size small; sexes similar. Adults in summer: White, with rosy flush on belly, head black with white spot at eye, pearl-gray mantle, and black-tipped wings. Adults in winter lack the rosy flush of the underparts and have white heads upon the back of which are two dusky spots. Immature birds are similar to adults in winter but have a black band near the tip of the tail. Length: 14 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly regular migrant along the waterways from about April 1 to May 10 (sometimes considerably later) and from September 1 to October 10. Not often seen in winter.

This, the smallest of our gulls, is often seen in flocks. At Conneaut Lake, Crawford County, where they are regular visitors, they circle about rapidly, like terns, resting on the water at intervals or standing on a floating timber. Their black heads distinguish them easily from all other species save the Laughing Gull (Chroicocephalus atricilla megalopterus) a larger species which nests along the Atlantic Coast, and which may occur occasionally along the waterways of the southeastern part of the Commonwealth.

COMMON TERN
Sterna hirundo Linnæus

Other Names.—Sea Swallow; Striker; Wilson’s Tern.

Description.—Smaller than a gull, with long, deeply forked tail. Adults in summer: Top of head glossy black; rest of body pearl-gray, save throat, sides of head, and tail, which are white, the outer tail-feathers with outer webs pearl-gray; bill red, with black tip; feet orange-red. Adults in winter: Similar, but with forepart of head and underparts white, and bill blackish. Immature: Similar to adults in winter, but plumage considerably washed with brownish, lesser wing-coverts slaty, and tail short, though forked. Length: 15 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather irregular migrant.

The more rapid flight, long forked tail, and habit of pointing the bill downward, rather than forward, while flying, distinguish the terns from the gulls. Common Terns are sometimes seen flying gracefully about a small pond, seeking small fish or aquatic insects, which they capture with great dexterity. During migration they are usually silent, and they do not often remain long in one locality.

Common Tern, Adult

The much larger Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia imperator) is similar in color-pattern to the Common Tern but has a much heavier, red bill, and a short, though forked tail. This species, which is decidedly rare as a migrant in the interior, has established a small nesting colony near Erie. The Caspian Tern is 21 inches long.

BLACK TERN
Chlidonias nigra surinamensis (Gmelin)

Other Name.—Marsh Tern.

Description.—Size small; tail short, forked. Adults in summer: Head and underparts black, save under tail-coverts, which are white; upperparts gray; bill and feet red. Adults in winter and immature: White, with pearl-gray back and wings and dusky spots on head; bill and feet dusky. Length: 10 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Irregular as a migrant throughout the Commonwealth; more frequently seen than other Terns about marshes and on small bodies of water; usually seen between April 25 and September 30. Though it is thus to be seen in midsummer irregularly, it is not known to nest in Pennsylvania at the present time.

Black Tern, Adult

The adult Black Tern, as it courses about a marsh or pond, is a beautiful, buoyant creature. Its flight is swallow-like. It is probable that this species nests occasionally along the Lake Erie shore, or at some of the larger lakes wherever there are marshy shores.

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
Phalacrocorax auritus auritus (Lesson)

Other Name.—Shag.

Description.—Four toes all webbed together; bill long and strongly hooked at tip; tail stiff and moderately long; plumage thick and firm. Adults in breeding plumage: Glossy greenish black, save on back which is dark gray, each feather being margined with lighter gray; two filamentous tufts of black feathers on back of head; neck with thin sprinkling of silken white feathers during period of courtship; bill blackish, marked at base with dull yellow; sack under bill yellow; eyes bright green. Immature and adult in winter (the plumage usually seen in Pennsylvania): Without crests, and whole plumage brownish black, somewhat mottled beneath, and with light area on throat; eyes grayish green, not bright green. Length: About 30 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant found principally along the larger water-ways from about March 20 to May 10 and from September 15 to November 15. It is occasionally seen in winter when the water is free of ice.

Double-crested Cormorant, Breeding Plumage

Cormorants sit low in the water so that, while swimming, their tails do not show as field-marks, but their long necks, large heads, and the strongly hooked bills distinguish them at a considerable distance. In flight their wings beat regularly.

The bulky, wide-winged White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is occasionally noted as a straggler in Pennsylvania. It is white, with black wing-tips, and is so noticeably equipped with long bill and throat-pouch that it can hardly be confused with any other species. Its four toes are all webbed together, as in the Double-crested Cormorant. Additional records of this species are desirable.

MERGANSER
Mergus merganser americanus Cassin

American Merganser, Male

Other Names.—Shelldrake; Goosander; Fish Duck; Sawbill; American Merganser.

Description.—One of the largest of the ducks; bill long and narrow, with teeth on both mandibles. Adult male: Head and upper neck greenish black; lower neck, patches in wings, and underparts white; belly suffused with salmon-pink, noticeable in some individuals; back, shoulders, and wings black; rump and tail gray; bill and feet red; eyes bright red. Adult female: Head, with two large crests, and neck rich brown, marked with white areas in front of eye and on chin and upper throat; upperparts ashy gray; patch in wings, and breast and belly white. Length: 25 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant along the larger waterways and sometimes on the smaller streams from about March 15 to April 20 and from October 1 to December 1. It frequently occurs in winter when the water is free of ice.

The mergansers are all expert fishermen and like to fish in swift water. They dive easily and their serrate bills help them to hold their slippery prey.

The female Merganser is difficult to distinguish from the female Red-breasted Merganser; in the present species, however, the white area on the chin and upper throat is sharply defined, whereas in the Red-breasted species the chin and throat are not white, but of a brownish color, paler than the rest of the head.

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
Mergus serrator Linnæus

Other Names.—Shelldrake; Fish Duck; Sawbill.

Description.—Male, with long, graceful crest of fine feathers; female with double crest, as in the female Merganser. Male: Head and upper neck glossy greenish black; lower neck, patch on upper chest, patches on wing, and underparts white; back black; rump and tail grayish; breast reddish brown, mottled with black, and on sides marked with a striking double row of black and white feathers; sides finely barred with blackish; legs, feet, and eyes red. Female: Head and neck rufous brown, grayish on crown and crest; throat not white, but of paler brown than rest of head; back grayish, washed with brown; underparts white, sides marked with brown; bill and feet brownish; base of lower mandible reddish; eyes, brown. Length: 22 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant, principally along the larger waterways, appearing somewhat later in spring than the preceding species and disappearing earlier in the fall.

Red-breasted Merganser, Male

It is said that the Red-breasted Merganser is less frequently seen along the smaller streams than is the larger Merganser. Both species eat fish and therefore are not considered as of much value for food.

HOODED MERGANSER
Lophodytes cucullatus (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Shelldrake; Fish Duck.

Description.—Bill long and narrow, with teeth on both mandibles. Male: Head, neck, back, and tail black; a high, fan-shaped crest on head strikingly marked with white; speculum white; sides rufous, finely barred with black; breast and belly white; eyes bright yellow. Female: Dull brown, somewhat brighter on the thin crest, and grayer on head and neck; upper throat, belly, and speculum white; eyes brown. Length: 18 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common and regular as a migrant from March 25 to April 15 and from October 25 to December 10. It has been noted in summer locally, so there is a possibility that it nests, though there are no definite records at present.

Hooded Merganser, Male

The male Hooded Merganser is one of our most striking birds and cannot easily be confused with any other species. The Hooded Merganser may be found along a quiet stretch of a small stream where the handsome males, at rest, do not display their high crests. In such mood the head has much the appearance of that of the other species of Fish Duck—thin, long, and snake-like. When rising, the birds beat their wings with amazing rapidity, the white speculum in the wings flickering brilliantly. This species is not so often found in swift water as are the Merganser and Red-breasted Merganser.

MALLARD
Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linnæus

Other Names.—Gray Mallard; Wild Duck.

Description.—Male: Head and neck rich glossy green, with violet reflections; neck with striking white collar; back and wings gray; speculum violet, bordered with black and white; rump, and upper and under tail-coverts black; tail feathers whitish; breast rich glossy chestnut; sides gray, finely barred; belly white; bill yellow; feet bright pink. Female: Mottled and streaked all over with grayish brown; speculum as in male; bill dull greenish yellow; feet dull pink. Length: 23 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common and regular as a migrant from March 1 to May 20 and from October 1 to December 15; nests locally and uncommonly, chiefly in swampy regions or along small upgrown streams.

Nest.—Built in a depression under a bush or in high grass, usually near the water, and lined with down. Eggs: 6 to 15, pale greenish buff. Duck eggs are usually glossy in appearance.

Mallard, Male

The Mallard, best known of our ducks, is the ancestor of several domestic strains of water-fowl. It is usually found in flocks along the shallow margins of streams, where it procures its food by nibbling along the bottom while its tail protrudes from the water.

The white tail and red feet of the male, which contrast with the gray of the back and wings, are good field-marks as the flock hurriedly rises and makes away.

BLACK DUCK
Anas rubripes tristis Brewster

Other Names.—Black Mallard; Dusky Mallard.

Description.—Sexes similar; general appearance dark brown, darkest on top of head and on back, all feathers margined with brownish buff; cheeks buffy, streaked with black; speculum rich violet, bordered with black, and, at tips of feathers, with white; under-wing plumage white; bill greenish; feet dusky in Black Duck; bright red in the Red-legged Black Duck. Length: 22 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant from March 1 to May 10 and from October 1 to December 25; uncommon and local as a summer resident, chiefly near lakes or quiet stretches in streams. Nest and eggs like those of the Mallard.

Black Duck, Male

Two forms of the Black Duck occur in Pennsylvania: The smaller, duller Black Duck as a migrant occurs at about the same time as the Mallard and nests locally. The Red-legged Black Duck (Anas rubripes rubripes), a summer bird of Labrador, comes south later in the fall, and has been known even to occur in the northern part of the State in late December, so there is a probability that this form occasionally winters when the water is free of ice.

Both the Mallard and Black Duck quack loudly, like domestic ducks, particularly when they are surprised. Large, dark-colored ducks which show white under the wings as they fly off are likely to be Black Ducks.

GADWALL
Chaulelasmus streperus (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Gray Duck.

Description.—Smaller than Mallard. Male: Top of head with low, fluffy crest, mottled with rufous and black; sides of head and neck buffy, streaked and spotted with black; breast and lower neck black, each feather with a central spot and border of white which gives a remarkably beautiful scaled appearance; back gray-brown; rump and upper and under tail-coverts black; breast and belly whitish; sides finely barred with blackish, lesser wing-coverts chestnut; speculum white; feet yellow. Female: Similar but duller, and with chest and sides buffy, thickly spotted with blackish; underparts white, more or less spotted with black, and with little or no chestnut on the lesser wing-coverts. Length: 20 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular migrant from about March 10 to April 30 and from September 25 to October 30. This is one of our rarer ducks.

Gadwall, Male

I have found the yellow feet of this species to be a fairly good field-mark, but in the swimming birds the white speculum, though it be nearly covered by the flank-feathers, is a reliable feature. Gadwalls feed in shallow water, as do their close relatives, the Black Duck and Mallard, and they often feed at night. Definite records of this species in Pennsylvania are desirable.

BALDPATE
Mareca americana (Gmelin)

Other Names.—Widgeon; American Widgeon.

Description.—Male: Top of head white or buffy; sides of crown back of eye glossy green, spotted with black; rest of head buffy, finely streaked and spotted with black; breast and sides pinkish brown, the sides finely and thickly barred with black; belly white; back gray-brown, finely barred black; bill blue-gray. Female: Head and neck pale buffy, finely streaked with black; breast and sides dull pinkish brown, washed with grayish; belly white; back grayish brown, barred irregularly with buffy; greater wing-coverts brownish gray, their outer webs mostly or entirely white, their tips black, sometimes edged with white; greater under wing-coverts white. Length: 19 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Rather common as a migrant from March 1 to August 15 and from October 1 to November 1, sometimes abundant, particularly along the larger streams.

Baldpate, Male

The white crown-patch of the male Baldpate not only has given this bird its name but also furnishes an excellent field-mark. The pinkish brown breast and sides are somewhat diagnostic also, though this color is not usually seen to good advantage in the field. The call-note is said to be “a sort of whew, whew, whew.” Baldpates are, as a rule, shallow-water feeders.

The European Widgeon (Mareca penelope) should be looked for in Pennsylvania. The male has a buffy crown. The under wing-coverts of the female are barred, whereas in the female Baldpate the greater under wing-coverts are white.

GREEN-WINGED TEAL
Nettion carolinense (Gmelin)

Other Name.—Mud Teal.

Description.—Small for a Duck, being about half as large as a domestic Duck. Male: Head, with flowing crest, chestnut, an area around and back of eye to nape glossy green, bordered below with a thin whitish line; chin black; upperparts gray, finely barred with black; speculum green, bordered with black and buffy; middle under tail-coverts black, lateral ones creamy; breast and sides pinkish brown, finely barred with black, a white bar on side of breast; belly white or buffy, spotted, sometimes irregularly, with blackish. Female: Top of head blackish, feathers edged with rufous; sides of head and neck white, heavily streaked with black; upperparts blackish, all feathers margined with buffy; green speculum on wing, as in male; underparts considerably mottled—not barred as in male. Length: 14½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant from March 20 to April 20 and from September 25 to November 10, often found along smaller streams. Locally, as at Conneaut Lake and at Erie, it is common during the height of migration.

Green-winged Teal, Male

The Teals are our smallest ducks. Their size and remarkably swift flight make them comparatively easy to identify, save in foggy weather when the apparent size of birds in the field is apt to be misleading. The Green-wing feeds like the Mallard and Black Duck, by “tipping” in shallow water and plucking food from the bottom.

BLUE-WINGED TEAL
Querquedula discors (Linnæus)

Blue-winged Teal, Male

Description.—Size small, as in Green-wing. Male: Head dark blue-gray with violet reflections; crown dark brown; chin and sides of base of bill blackish; a crescent-shaped patch of white in front of eye; back brown, barred and mottled with black; breast white, buffy, or rusty, heavily spotted with black; lesser and middle wing-coverts gray-blue, forming a conspicuous color-area, particularly in flight; speculum glossy green. Female and immature: Crown dark brown, irregularly streaked with grayish; sides of head and neck grayish, streaked with black; throat whitish; breast and belly usually whitish spotted and margined with blackish; speculum glossy green. Length: 16 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant from April 15 to May 15 and from September 1 to October 15, sometimes quite common. It may nest occasionally in marshy situations.

The blue lesser wing-coverts of this species are fairly easy to recognize, even at a considerable distance. It is relatively silent while it is passing through Pennsylvania; the Green-wing is more voluble. At Wildwood Lake, near Harrisburg, Blue-winged Teals occur with some regularity along a marshy neck of land which protrudes into the lake at the mouth of an inflowing stream. Here the birds rest quietly, feeding in early morning and toward evening, and flying about only when they are disturbed. They are usually mated by the time they reach this latitude in the spring.

SHOVELER
Spatula clypeata (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Spoonbill Duck.

Description.—Comparatively small, but larger than the Teals. Bill very large and broad, noticeably so even at considerable distance in the field. Male: Head and neck rich black, glossed with green and violet; line down back of neck and back dark brown; belly and sides rich chestnut; lesser wing-coverts gray-blue, as in the Blue-winged Teal, the greater coverts brownish, tipped with white; speculum green; upper and under tail-coverts black; eyes yellow; feet pink. Female: Head and neck streaked with black and buffy bars; throat buffy; underparts buffy, feathers margined and spotted with dark brown and buffy; feet orange-pink, paler than in male; eyes brown; bill greenish yellow, blotched with brownish. Immature birds are intermediate in appearance between the adult male and adult female. The immature female’s speculum is noticeably grayish, with little green. Length: 20 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Rather rare migrant from March 1 to April 15 and from September 15 to November 1. Not usually seen in large flocks.

Shoveler, Male

The huge bill of this species will distinguish it in any plumage. Its blue wing-coverts have much the appearance of those of the Blue-winged Teal.

PINTAIL
Dafila acuta tzitzihoa (Vieillot)

Other Names.—Sprig; Sprig-tail; Spike-tail.

Description.—Neck long and slender in both sexes. Male in mating plumage, which is characteristic of the winter months: Head warm brown, glossed faintly on cheeks with violet; back of neck blackish, bordered by white stripes which run down sides of neck to breast; back brownish gray; shoulders black, margined with white or buffy; wing brownish gray, the greater coverts tipped with cinnamon; speculum green, bordered narrowly with white; central tail-feathers very long and narrow, black; underparts white; sides heavily marked with fine lines of black. Female: Crown blackish, irregularly marked with rich brown; throat white; sides of head and neck considerably streaked; breast buffy, spotted with blackish; feathers of sides margined and barred with dark brown and white; under wing-coverts dark brown, bordered with whitish. The male in summer breeding dress resembles the female. Length: Male, 28 inches, in full, long-tailed plumage; female, 22 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant from March 1 to April 15 and from September 20 to December 15. It has even been known to winter in the northern part of the Commonwealth.

Pintail
Male Female

The female, while not strikingly marked, may be recognized by the long neck, the sharply pointed middle tail-feathers, and by the dark under wing-coverts. Pintails are swift fliers, and have the ability of rising straight into the air from a pond or from the ground.

WOOD DUCK
Aix sponsa (Linnæus)

Wood Duck
Female Male

Description.—Smaller than Mallard; both sexes with crest, smaller in female than in male. Male: Head and crest rich glossy green, with violet and blue reflections; a line from bill over eye, a line along side of crest, and other lines in flowing feathers of crest, white; throat, a band from it up cheeks, and a wide band at nape, white; breast and an area at either side of base of tail, chestnut, the breast spotted with white; band on breast in front of wing, white; sides buffy, finely barred with black, the long flank-feathers tipped with striking bands of black and white; back greenish brown; scapulars blackish, glossed with steel-blue and greenish; speculum steel-blue tipped with white; primaries tipped with greenish blue; tail blue-black; eyes red; bill dusky, white, and red; feet yellowish. Female: Area below and back of eye, and throat, white; crown brown, glossed with purplish; sides of head ashy brown; breast and sides grayish, streaked and mottled with brownish; belly white; back olive-brown, glossed with greenish; the inner primaries tipped with greenish blue. The immature resembles the adult female. The male in eclipse plumage, which he assumes during late summer, is similar to the female. Length: 18½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common as a migrant and summer resident throughout, arriving in early April and remaining until November 1. Commoner than most species of this family along the smaller streams.

Nest.—In a cavity in a tree. Eggs: 7 to 15, buffy white.

The male Wood Duck, thought by many to be the most beautiful American bird, is a gorgeous creature. It is little wonder that an Indian legend tells us that a little gray duck, while on a search for happiness, swam into the end of the rainbow and came forth the brilliant creature we now call the Wood Duck.

Agile almost as a perching bird, these ducks run about on the ground, snapping up insects, or swim buoyantly in quiet pools near the woodland they have selected as their summer home. In a cavity in a tree, sometimes at considerable distance from the water and at quite a height from the ground, the down-lined nest is built.

The young birds, it is said, clamber out of the nest and fall to the ground as best they can, without being helped by either parent. Surely, young birds which survive such an ordeal are prepared for the later battles of life!

Wood Ducks are fond of acorns and of the seeds of many aquatic plants. The young birds, like the adults, are amazingly agile and run about like young chickens, bright-eyed, attractive, and so small as to be fairly ludicrous as they race into the water for a swim!

REDHEAD
Nyroca americana (Eyton)

Description.—Head high, rising abruptly from bill; both sexes with tendency toward fluffy, round crest. Male: Entire head bright rufous, glossed with purplish; lower neck, all around, breast, and upper back, blackish; rest of back and scapulars finely barred with wavy black and white lines of equal width; wing-coverts brownish gray; wings gray, without a noticeable speculum; upper and under tail-coverts black; belly white, lower belly more or less barred like back; sides barred as in back; eyes yellow; bill blue-gray. Female: Upperparts dark grayish brown, darker on wings, all feathers more or less margined with buffy or ashy; neck buffy, somewhat mottled; breast and sides gray-brown, washed or margined with buffy; belly and under tail-coverts somewhat suffused with buffy; eyes brown; bill blackish, with blue-gray band at end. Length: 19 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common as a migrant, noticeably along the larger waterways, from March 1 to April 25 and from October 10 to November 15. Sometimes occurs in great flocks.

Redhead, Male

The high head and yellow eyes distinguish the male Redhead from the male Canvasback, which is otherwise similar in appearance.

CANVASBACK
Aristonetta valisineria (Wilson)

Description.—Bill long and gradually sloping up to the head which is long and low, different markedly in this respect from that of the Redhead. Male: Head and neck rufous; chin and crown blackish; lower neck, breast, and upper back, black; back and wing-coverts barred with black and white, the white lines so much wider as to appear, even at some distance, whiter than in the Redhead; belly white, sides finely barred; upper and under tail-coverts and tail, black; eyes reddish brown; bill blackish. Female: Head, neck, breast, and upper back, light rufous; throat pale, the frontparts of head somewhat brighter; back, grayish brown, feathers washed with wavy white lines which the female Redhead does not have; belly white; sides grayish brown, sometimes marked like back. Length: 21 inches. The female is a little smaller than the male.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant, principally along the larger waterways, usually from March 10 to April 20 and from October 1 to December 15, sometimes abundant; irregular in winter.

Canvasback, Male

The white back of the male Canvasback is noticeable at a distance. The female, which is rather similar to the female Redhead, may always be recognized by the long, rather thin bill and low head.

SCAUP
Fulix marila nearctica (Stejneger)

Other Names.—Blue-bill; Black-head; Raft Duck; Greater Scaup; American Scaup.

Description.—Adult male: Head, neck, breast, and upper back, black, head with greenish reflections; back and scapulars barred with black and white; speculum white; upper and under tail-coverts black; belly white, lower belly and sides finely barred with black; bill blue-gray; eyes yellow. Female: Area about base of bill white; head, neck, upper back, and breast, dark brown, margined with buffy on breast; rest of upperparts somewhat lighter brown; sides brown, marked with wavy white lines; belly and speculum white. Length: 18½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common as a migrant from March 10 to April 25 and from October 1 to December 10. The Scaups are among the species of this family most commonly recorded at reservoirs and along large waterways.

Scaup
Female Male

The two Scaups are not easy to distinguish in the field, and certain identification depends upon the males, for the females are very much alike. The male Scaup’s head shows greenish reflections; the Lesser Scaup’s head is glossed with purplish.

LESSER SCAUP
Fulix affinis (Eyton)

Other Names.—Blue-bill; Black-head; Raft Duck.

Description.—Decidedly similar, in both sexes, to the preceding species, but smaller, and the male’s head with purplish, rather than greenish reflections. The barring of the sides of the Lesser Scaup is stronger than in the Scaup. The females of the two species are practically indistinguishable in the field. Length: 16½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Commoner throughout than the preceding species, although some of our field records may be open to question in view of the similarity of the two. The white speculum, dark head, and blue-gray bill are good field characters to remember.

RINGED-NECKED DUCK
Perissonetta collaris (Donovan)

Other Names.—Blue-bill; Black-head; Raft Duck.

Description.—Both sexes similar to the Scaup and Lesser Scaup in general appearance, differing in the following respects: in the male Ring-neck the chin is white; the head, which has a somewhat higher crest than in either Scaup, is richly glossed with purplish blue; there is a rich brown collar about the neck (not easily noted in the field); the back is blackish, and the speculum is gray, not white; the female Ring-neck may be distinguished from the female Scaups by the gray speculum; the head and neck of the female Ring-neck often has a mottled or spotted appearance. In both sexes the blackish bill, which is crossed near the tip with a whitish band, is an excellent field-mark. If the sun is bright, this band may give the impression that the bird is holding some small shining object in its bill. Length: 16½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—While our records tend to indicate that this species is less common than the Scaup or Lesser Scaup, it is probably fairly regular and common as a migrant, occurring at about the same time as the Lesser Scaup.

GOLDENEYE
Glaucionetta clangula americana (Bonaparte)

Other Names.—Cuphead; Whistler.

Description.—Both sexes with short, stubby bills and high heads. Male: Head black, glossed with green; a white spot below and in front of eye; neck, exposed part of wing-coverts, speculum and part of scapulars, and underparts, white; rest of plumage black; eyes yellow. Female: Head brown, neck paler; breast, back, and sides gray; speculum and underparts white; eyes yellow. Length: 20 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant which sometimes occurs in winter when there is open water, but is not often common. It is to be found from March 1 to April 15 and from October 10 to November 30.

Goldeneye, Male

Goldeneyes will sometimes be seen resting on a floating piece of ice. The musical, whistling sound of their beating wings has been responsible for their common name, “Whistler.”

The large head and ludicrously short bill are fairly good field-marks for this species, even at a considerable distance. The strongly contrasting black and white plumage of the male is not easily to be confused with that of any other species.

The Barrow’s Goldeneye (Glaucionetta islandica) is much rarer in Pennsylvania than the Goldeneye. The male has a purplish head and a somewhat crescent-shaped patch in front of and below the eye. His scapulars are marked with white areas along the shafts. Records of this species are very desirable.

BUFFLEHEAD
Charitonetta albeola (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Butterball; Dipper Duck.

Description.—About half as large as a Mallard; both sexes with short bills and high, rounded crests, more or less as in the Goldeneye. Male: Head black, glossed handsomely with greenish, purplish, bluish, and fiery orange; a large white band across back of head from eye to eye; lower neck, wing-coverts, speculum, outer scapulars, and underparts, white; back and wings black; lower back and tail grayish; eyes dark brown. Female: Head and upper breast dull brown, patch on either side of head, speculum, and breast and belly, white. Length: 15 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common, sometimes abundant, as a migrant, from March 15 to April 15 and from October 1 to November 10. It is often seen along the smaller, swifter streams and at small lakes. Mated pairs are usually noted in spring.

The male, like the Wood Duck, is a creature of great beauty. The Bufflehead is a good diver, and can disappear at the wink of an eye with the agility of a grebe. It eats much animal matter, including small fish which it captures while diving. These ducks are often exceedingly fat, and this tendency, as well as the plump roundness of their body, has given them the common name, “Butterball.”

Bufflehead, Male

OLD SQUAW
Clangula hiemalis (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Old Wife; Sou’ Southerly; Long-tailed Duck.

Description.—Male with very long, narrow, middle tail-feathers, longer than in the Pintail; female without long tail-feathers. Male in winter: Sides of head washed with grayish brown; sides of back of head and upper neck black, more or less margined with buffy; rest of head, neck, upper back, scapulars, and lower belly, white; back and wings, breast, and upper belly, black; bill black with yellowish orange band across end; eyes pale brown. Female: Upper parts dark brown; scapulars and back more or less margined with grayish; sides of head and neck white or whitish; breast gray; belly white. The male in summer has the sides and front of head white; the rest of the plumage is chiefly black, save the belly, which is white. Length: male, 21 inches; female, 16 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant from February 20 to April 10 and from November 1 to December 20, sometimes occurring in winter, and irregularly very abundant. Tremendous flocks have been noted at Conneaut Lake and at Lake Erie.

The Old Squaw is a handsome and noisy species and demands attention wherever it is found. It usually feeds in deep water, and therefore is found but rarely in smaller ponds or along streams. The under wing-coverts are dark, and there is no speculum in the wing. Its rapid flight carries it along, a few feet above the water, at from 35 to 60 miles an hour, perhaps faster, and it alights with a swish. It is an expert diver.

Old Squaw, Winter Plumage