TUFTED DUCK
TUFTED DUCK (Aythya fuligula) – (See images below)
DESCRIPTION: The tufted duck is a small diving duck. The male is black with white sides, and has a tuft at the back of its head (hence the name). The bill is light blue with a black tip. The eyes are yellow. The female is dark brown, with lighter sides. Ducklings are brown overall with a blue bill. This duck is about 45 cm (17 in.) long.
VOICE: https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Aythya-fuligula
NAME: The English name ‘tufted’ refers to the head plumage, and ‘duck’ stems from Anglo-saxon ‘diver’. The Latin genus name ‘Aythya’ comes from Greek and refers to a ‘kind of waterbird’, and the Latin species name ‘fuligula’ means ‘soot’ and ‘throat’, in reference to the bird’s color.
HABITAT: Wetlands such as marshes, coastal ponds, reservoirs or lakes.
DIET: The tufted duck feeds on water bottom vegetation, and also insects and crustaceans. It can dive down to around 15 meters (50 feet).
NESTING: The nest is placed in a well-concealed area on the ground in thick vegetation near water. An average of ten eggs of varying colors are laid, which are incubated by the female.
DISTRIBUTION: The breeding range of the tufted duck is located in Europe and Asia. They migrate south of that range for the winter, and sometimes have been observed along the coasts of North America. Some rare individuals will also visit Hawaii for their migration. (See note below on bird vagrancy.)
Distribution map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_duck#/media/File:Tufted_Duck_Range.png
ON PEI: The tufted duck does not breed on Prince Edward Island. There only have been ‘accidental’ sightings of this species on or around the island (see note below on bird vagrancy).
CONSERVATION: The population of this duck is large and widespread, and is not considered at risk, in spite of being legally hunted in some of its range.
NOTES: Tufted ducks are known to hybridize with the three species mentioned below. During migration they will form large flocks and associate with other species of the same genus.
Vagrancy: In biology this means an animal going way outside its normal range. For birds, this can happen when there are storms and they get blown off course. On other times, the bird simply wanders in a different direction than usual. Here’s an article about vagrancy in birds.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Lesser Scaup, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked Duck
REFERENCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_duck
https://www.thespruce.com/tufted-duck-profile-3964238
http://www.arkive.org/tufted-duck/aythya-fuligula/
https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/420/_/Tufted_Duck.aspx
This video shows tufted ducks, Black-tailed Gulls, and Eurasian Coots swimming around at the Shinobazu Pond in the middle of Ueno Park, Tokyo:
DESCRIPTION: The tufted duck is a small diving duck. The male is black with white sides, and has a tuft at the back of its head (hence the name). The bill is light blue with a black tip. The eyes are yellow. The female is dark brown, with lighter sides. Ducklings are brown overall with a blue bill. This duck is about 45 cm (17 in.) long.
VOICE: https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Aythya-fuligula
NAME: The English name ‘tufted’ refers to the head plumage, and ‘duck’ stems from Anglo-saxon ‘diver’. The Latin genus name ‘Aythya’ comes from Greek and refers to a ‘kind of waterbird’, and the Latin species name ‘fuligula’ means ‘soot’ and ‘throat’, in reference to the bird’s color.
HABITAT: Wetlands such as marshes, coastal ponds, reservoirs or lakes.
DIET: The tufted duck feeds on water bottom vegetation, and also insects and crustaceans. It can dive down to around 15 meters (50 feet).
NESTING: The nest is placed in a well-concealed area on the ground in thick vegetation near water. An average of ten eggs of varying colors are laid, which are incubated by the female.
DISTRIBUTION: The breeding range of the tufted duck is located in Europe and Asia. They migrate south of that range for the winter, and sometimes have been observed along the coasts of North America. Some rare individuals will also visit Hawaii for their migration. (See note below on bird vagrancy.)
Distribution map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_duck#/media/File:Tufted_Duck_Range.png
ON PEI: The tufted duck does not breed on Prince Edward Island. There only have been ‘accidental’ sightings of this species on or around the island (see note below on bird vagrancy).
CONSERVATION: The population of this duck is large and widespread, and is not considered at risk, in spite of being legally hunted in some of its range.
NOTES: Tufted ducks are known to hybridize with the three species mentioned below. During migration they will form large flocks and associate with other species of the same genus.
Vagrancy: In biology this means an animal going way outside its normal range. For birds, this can happen when there are storms and they get blown off course. On other times, the bird simply wanders in a different direction than usual. Here’s an article about vagrancy in birds.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Lesser Scaup, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked Duck
REFERENCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_duck
https://www.thespruce.com/tufted-duck-profile-3964238
http://www.arkive.org/tufted-duck/aythya-fuligula/
https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/420/_/Tufted_Duck.aspx
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| Tufted duck male, Ueno Park, Japan |
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| Female Tufted ducks, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Tufted duck drakes, Ueno Park, Japan |