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Topic Categories: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
Posted on: December 22, 2009 9:59 AM, by "GrrlScientist"
tags: Northern Pintail, Pintail, Anas acuta, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Northern Pintail, also known simply as the Pintail, Anas acuta, photographed at Arthur Storey Park, Houston, Texas. [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 December 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/350s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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Comments
I think the elongated brownish feathers with black central stripes draped across the back are a give-away here...
Posted by: David Hilmy | December 22, 2009 10:13 AM
Hm. I was going to say male Gadwall, but after reading David's post, I took a closer look at those brownish feathers, and now I don't know. Northern Pintail, maybe?
Posted by: John Callender | December 22, 2009 12:05 PM
John,
I think you'll find it not as much "noisy" as "sharp"!
Gadwall drake
Northern Pintail drake
Posted by: David Hilmy | December 22, 2009 12:22 PM
Hahahaha, that made me laugh, David.
Posted by: Adrian | December 22, 2009 2:45 PM
Adrian, the benefits of a mis-spent youth packed off to a British boarding school studying Latin up to my 'A' Levels! (Didn't really do me a lot of good then as my first escape from the "system" was to join the Royal Marines!)
Posted by: David Hilmy | December 22, 2009 5:49 PM
Ah. I had no idea what the joke was, but with the followup about Latin I think I've figured it out: strepera vs. acuta, right?
A meta mystery (at least for me). :-)
Posted by: John Callender | December 22, 2009 7:25 PM
You're right John- presumably when one was naming the Gadwall, the "raspy reb" (Cornell) or the "short 'nheck' and a low whistle" (Ducks Unlimited) was enough for Gesner to call it a "noisy duck", Anas strepera, although I understand that it's quack is just like a Mallard, only more frequent?!
acuta must refer to the "sharp" tail for the Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
Posted by: David Hilmy | December 22, 2009 8:15 PM