General

Long-tailed Duck: Small diving duck with black upperparts, head, neck, breast, and wings; back shows black and brown mottling; flanks, belly and undertail coverts are white. Tail is black with long, pintail-like central feathers that are often submersed when swimming. Mask is pale gray and bill is black with a dark pink saddle. Female is duller, lacks long tail, and has gray bill. Winter male retains the long tail feathers and has white crown, neck, back, flanks and belly, black breast, lower back and neck spot, gray mask, and black wings with white shoulder blades visible in flight. Winter female is duller, has black cap, white face, shorter tail, and gray bill. Juvenile resembles winter female but is grayer overall.

Range and Habitat

Long-tailed Duck: Breeds from Alaska east across most of northern Canada. Spends winters along the Pacific coast from the Bering Sea south to California; from Greenland, eastern North America, and Labrador south, including the Great Lakes, to South Carolina. Preferred habitats include a variety of coastal waters, mostly deeper waters of straits, bays, harbors, channels, and fiords. Other habitats include estuaries, offshore waters, mudflats, and rarely, large lakes and rivers.

Breeding and Nesting

Long-tailed Duck: Five to eleven olive buff, olive gray, or green yellow eggs are laid in a hollow of grass and down hidden in low vegetation or among rocks. Incubation ranges from 23 to 25 days and is carried out by the female. Young start to fly at 35 to 40 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Long-tailed Duck: Feeds on aquatic plants, shrimp, and insects; dives from the surface to forage underwater.

Vocalization

Long-tailed Duck: Utters a melodious and barking, "ow-owdle-ow, ow-owdle-ow" when breeding. Noisy in all seasons; most garrulous of all North American ducks.

Similar Species

Long-tailed Duck: Northern Pintail lacks white face patch.