Speculum feathers
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The speculum is a patch, often distinctly coloured, on the inner remiges of some birds.
Examples of the colour(s) of the speculum in a number of ducks are:
- Common Teal and Green-winged Teal: Iridescent green edged with buff[1].
- Blue-winged Teal: Iridescent green[2]. The species' common name comes from the sky-blue wing coverts.
- Crested Duck and Bronze-winged Duck: Iridescent purple-bronze, edged white[3].
- Pacific Black Duck: Iridescent green, edged light buff[3].
- Mallard: Iridescent purple-blue with white edges[1].
- American Black Duck: Iridescent violet bordered in black and may have a thin white trailing edge[1].
- Northern Pintail: Iridescent green in male and brown in female, both are white on trailing edge[2].
- Gadwall: Both sexes have white inner secondaries[1].
- Yellow-billed Duck: Iridescent green or blue, bordered white[4].
Bright wing speculums are also known from a number of other birds; among them are several parrots from the genus Amazona with red or orange speculums[5], though in this case the colors are pigmentary and non-iridiscent.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Dunn, Jon L. and Alderfer, Jonathan (2006). National Geographic Guide to the Birds of North America. National Geographic Society. ISBN 1426200722.
- ^ a b Bellrose, Frank C. and The Audubon Society (1983). The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding. National Geographic Society. ISBN 1426200722.
- ^ a b Madge, Steve; Burn, Hilary (1988). Waterfowl: an Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-46727-6.
- ^ Zimmerman, Dale A., Turner, Donald A., and Pearson, David J.; Illustrated by Zimmerman, Dale A., Willis, Ian and Pratt, H. Douglas (1999). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691010226.
- ^ Robert S. Ridgely and John A. Gwynne, Jr. (1989). Birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691085293.
