Male
Female
Male
Male
Pair
Photo Details
1. Male - January 11,
2004 - Salem Pond, Utah County, Utah
2. Female-January 5, 2006 - Mountain Springs, Utah County, Utah
3. Male - December 23, 2003 - Mountain Springs, Utah County, Utah
4. Male - May 4, 2003 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder County,
Utah
5. Pair - December 5,
2004 - Mountain Springs,
Utah County, Utah
©Nicky Davis
Description
L
19 WS 30, Long bill that widens at the tip. Male in breeding plumage
has
dark green head, white breat, reddish-brown flanks. Female is brown
streaked
with spatula shaped bill which is gray on top and orange along the
opening.
Behavior
They
spend summers on open shallow lakes and marshes and winters on
protected
coastal areas, usually in small flocks or pairs. They are
agressive
during displays and defense of territory. They eat at the water surface
by straining out small aquatic insects and other invertebrates with the
comblike edge of their bills. They also eat duckweed and aquatic
plants that grow beneath the water. They lay 6-14 pale greenish eggs in
a nest of grass lined with down and placed in a concealed depression in
the ground which may be as far as 100 yards from water. They have
one brood which they incubate for 21-28 days. Chicks are precocial.
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