Читать книгу Western Bird Guide - Reed Charles Keller - Страница 45

174. Branta nigricans. 26 inches

Head, neck and breast black with a broad white collar nearly encircling the black neck, back a grayish brown; under parts mostly white. They are very inquisitive and easily come to decoys, and consequently large numbers of them are shot each year for the markets. They are a noisy bird especially when in large flocks. They get most of their food by tipping up in the shallow waters, where they feed upon the tender water plants and roots gathered from the bottom.

Nest.– A depression in the ground lined with grass and feathers and the down from their breasts; four to eight eggs are laid of a grayish color (2.80 × 1.75).

Range.– Western North America, breeding abundantly in northern Alaska and wintering on the Pacific coast from British Columbia to Lower California.