قراءة كتاب Ducks at a Distance: A Waterfowl Identification Guide

تنويه: تعرض هنا نبذة من اول ١٠ صفحات فقط من الكتاب الالكتروني، لقراءة الكتاب كاملا اضغط على الزر “اشتر الآن"

‏اللغة: English
Ducks at a Distance: A Waterfowl Identification Guide

Ducks at a Distance: A Waterfowl Identification Guide

تقييمك:
0
No votes yet
المؤلف:
دار النشر: Project Gutenberg
الصفحة رقم: 3

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}img"/> Typical Flock Pattern


Pintail

Length—26"
Weight—1¾ lbs.

Eclipse Drake Eclipse Drake and HenHen

These ducks use all four flyways, but are most plentiful in the west.

They are extremely graceful and fast fliers, fond of zig-zagging from great heights before leveling off to land.

The long neck and tail make them appear longer than mallards, but in body size and weight they are smaller.

Hen and Drake WingHen Drake
DrakeDrake
Drake Drake and HenHen
Drake Drake and HenHen

They are agile on land and often feed in grain fields. The drakes whistle; the hens have a coarse quack.

Typical Flock PatternTypical Flock Pattern

Gadwall

Length—21"
Weight—2 lbs.

Eclipse Drake Eclipse Drake and HenHen

Gadwalls are most numerous in the Central Flyway, but not too common anywhere. They are often called "gray mallards" or "gray ducks." They are one of the earliest migrants, seldom facing cold weather.

They are the only puddle ducks with a white speculum.

Hen and Drake WingHen Drake
DrakeDrake
Drake Drake and HenHen
Drake Drake and HenHen

Small, compact flocks fly swiftly, usually in a direct line. Wingbeats are rapid.

Drakes whistle and kack-kack; hens quack like a mallard, but softer.

Typical Flock PatternTypical Flock Pattern

Wigeon

Length—21"
Weight—1¾ lbs.

Eclipse Drake Eclipse Drake and HenHen

These are nervous birds, quick to take alarm. Their flight is fast, irregular, with many twists and turns. In a bunched flock, their movements have been compared to those of pigeons.

When open water is handy, wigeons often raft up offshore until late afternoon when they move to marshes and ponds to feed.

Hen Hen and Drake WingDrake
DrakeDrake
Drake Drake and HenHen
Drake Drake and HenHen

The white belly and forewing are very showy in the air. Drakes whistle; hens have a loud kaow and a lower qua-awk.

Typical Flock PatternTypical Flock Pattern

Shoveler

Length—19½"
Weight—1½ lbs.

Eclipse Drake Eclipse Drake and HenHen

Shovelers, 'spoonbills' to many, are early migrants, moving out at the first frost. The largest numbers are in the Central and Pacific flyways.

The usual flight is steady and direct. When startled, the small flocks twist and turn in the air like teal.

Hen and Drake WingHen Drake
DrakeDrake
Drake Drake and HenHen
Drake Drake and HenHen

They are not highly regarded as table birds, because one third of

Pages