Tufted Duck

The Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) is a medium-sized diving duck. It breeds widely throughout temperate and northern Eurasia, and occurs as a rare visitor in North America. It is believed to have expanded its traditional range with the increased availability of open water due to gravel extraction, and the spread of freshwater mussels, a favourite food. The population of this abundant duck is probably close to one million birds.

These ducks are migratory in most of their range, and winter in the milder south and west of Europe and southern Asia. They will form large flocks on open water in winter.

The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name. The only drake duck which is at all similar is the North American Ring-necked Duck, which however has a different head shape, no tuft and greyish flanks.

The adult female is brown with paler flanks, and is more easily confused with other diving ducks. In particular, some have white around the bill base which resembles the scaup species, although the white is never as extensive as in those ducks.

Their breeding habitat is close to marshes and lakes with plenty of vegetation to conceal the nest.

These birds feed mainly by diving, but they will dabble. They eat molluscs, aquatic insects and some plants and sometimes feed at night.