Bird of the Month: Tufted Duck
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
A rare winter visitor to Washington, the Tufted Duck is most often found in a flock of scaup.
The Tufted Duck is a striking duck with a black head and tail bookending very bright white sides. The male has a shaggy tuft hanging off the back of its head and the female which is brown has a shorter tuft. It is similar in appearance to both Greater and Lesser Scaup with which it can be confused and whose company it keeps when seen in North America. However, the unique tuft on its head and its grey bill with large black tip separate it from other ducks. The female Tufted Duck can be confused with the female Ring-necked Duck, but the Tufted’s dark head and lack of white on the bill help with identification.
The Tufted Duck is an abundant species in Europe and Asia and is the most numerous in the genus Aythya, which is a Latinized version of the Greek aithuia, meaning a diving duck (Holloway). Like other Aythya ducks the Tufted will dive to feed on aquatic plants, and also enjoys crustaceans, crayfish, and aquatic insects.
Tufted duck
Scientific Name: Aythya fuligula
Length: 17”
Wingspan: 26”
Weight: 1.6 oz (740 g)
AOU Alpha Code: TUDU
PALEARCTIC BREEDER
The Tufted Duck breeds in the palearctic region of Europe and Asia north of the Himalayas. Its breeding range extends from Iceland to Mongolia and Kamchatka in the Russian east and it is known to nest at various altitudes including one pair which nested as high as 2,400 meters (7,800 feet) in the Swiss Alps. Other Tufted Ducks have nested in loose groups within gull or tern colonies.
The Tufted Duck constructs a nest of grass and sedges among grass tussocks close to large bodies of fresh water which support rich plant life. Clutches will consist of 8-11 eggs which the female will incubate for about four weeks. The ducklings will be cared for by the female through fledging and for an additional two months, at which point the female will leave the young to live on their own (Carboneras and Kirwan).
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURANCE
Tufted Ducks are a species of least concern and have been expanding their population at a rapid rate throughout the breeding range, and there are no conservation measures in place for them. The species is adaptable to new environments including human constructed reservoirs, additions of plant species in former wetlands, and the spread of the zebra mussel into NW Europe (Carboneras and Kirwan). Migration in fall continues from October through November when thousands of these ducks will form large rafts on coastal bays and large lakes in winter in many locations in northern Africa and the Middle East.
Tufted Duck is rare in North America and when seen it is usually associated with other ducks in the genus Aythia such as Greater and Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Duck. In Washington, the observation records range from December to March and almost all are from west of the Cascades. Tufted Ducks have been seen along the coast extending from the greater Puget Sound region south to Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and the lower Columbia River (Wahl et al).
Photo credit:
Banner Photo: Ian Preston/Flickr.
Body Photo: Katja Schulz/Flickr
References available upon request from amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org.