Family: AnatidaeHabitat: Found in tundra habitats; also on open lakes and ponds or in shallowly flooded agricultural fields.
Distribution: Breeds in the Arctic tundra from western Alaska east to Baffin Island; and from there south to Churchill and the Hudson Bay area of Quebec. Winters along the Pacific Coast inland to Nevada, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming, and south to southern Texas, New Mexico, and extreme northern Mexico; also in the Great Lakes region, and along the Atlantic Coast from Maryland to North Carolina (A.O.U. 1998). Migrants and small numbers of wintering birds may be found at many inland locations in the mid-West.
Field Marks: Black on bill does not extend to encompass eye; many adults have yellow spot on bill in front of eye. Immatures are dusky gray.
Nest Habits: Builds a nest of dried grasses or sedges on the ground.
Eggs: 2-7. Usually 4-5; 107 millimeter; creamy-white in color.
Incubation: Females incubate the eggs; both sexes care for the young. Incubation lasts approximately 35-40 days; young are capable of flight when they are about 60-70 days old.
