Part 2

The flight is not particularly rapid. Hens have a loud quack; the drake's voice is a low-pitched kwek-kwek.

Pintail

Length--26" Weight--1-3/4 lbs.

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.

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

Gadwall

Length--21" Weight--2 lbs.

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.

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.

Wigeon

Length--21" Weight--1-3/4 lbs.

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.

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

Shoveler

Length--19-1/2" Weight--1-1/2 lbs.

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.

They are not highly regarded as table birds, because one third of the usual diet is animal matter.

Drakes call woh-woh and took-took; the hen's quack is feeble.

Blue-Winged Teal

Length--16" Weight--15 oz.

Their small size and twisting turning flight gives the illusion of great speed. The small, compact flocks commonly fly low over the marshes, and often take the hunter by surprise.

They are more vocal than most ducks--their high-pitched peeping and nasal quacking is commonly heard in spring and to a lesser extent in fall.