Visual Search | Wizard | Browse
Bird name:
Home| Search| Browser| Expert| Forum| Store| My WhatBird| Help| Site Map

Tufted Duck

Aythya fuligulaOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Codes: Common Name: TUDU Scientific Name: AYTFUL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175135
Least Concern
 
Tufted Duck: The male Tufted Duck has a long black crest and dull black back and tail. The underparts and sides are white. The head, neck, and breast are black with a purple tint. Wings are black with dark-edged, broad white stripes visible in flight. Eyes are yellow; legs and feet are gray.
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Whatbird.com
whatbird search for your browser
whatbird search for your browser
Splitbar
Rate this Illustration: Excellent Very Good Good
Fair Below Avg Poor

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Clingers Only Feeder
Weather resistant inexpensive feeder is ideal for small birds.
Suet Delight
Easy to hang and maintain, holds all kinds of packaged suet.
Ultimate Woodpecker Feeder
Only allows woodpeckers to feed made of Inland Cedar.
The No-No Copper Feeder
Beautiful copper feeder holds 2.5 lbs of sunflower seeds.
Attracting Clingers

Overview

Tufted Duck: Medium-sized diving duck with long black crest and dull black back and tail. Underparts and sides are bright white. Head, neck and breast are black with a purple sheen. Wings are black with dark-edged, broad white stripes visible in flight. Eyes are yellow; legs and feet are gray.


Range and Habitat

Tufted Duck: Breeds across Eurasia from Iceland and the British Isles east across Russia and Siberia to the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Commander Islands; breeding has not been reported in North America. They are casual visitors on northern coasts during migration. Found in large lakes and bays.

whatbird search for your browser
whatbird search for your browser

Topo Map: Duck-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

Generally silent

Interesting Facts

 Tufted Ducks have increased their range and numbers in the past 100 years. An increased availability of open water due to gravel extraction and man-made lakes offer the ideal feeding habitat for them.

 They are one of the most common diving ducks. They are quite tame and have adapted well to man-made lakes, even in busy city parks.

 This Old World bird is a counterpart of the Ring-necked Duck of North America.

 A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

Splitbar
Range Map for Tufted Duck

.
Family Diving Ducks (Anatidae)_blue
Species Aythya fuligula
Length18 - 22 Inches
Wingspan32.5 Inches

Tufted Duck

Tufted Duck: Medium-sized diving duck with long black crest and dull black back and tail. Underparts and sides are bright white. Head, neck and breast are black with a purple sheen. Wings are black with dark-edged, broad white stripes visible in flight. Eyes are yellow; legs and feet are gray.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Tufted Duck: Diet consists of crustaceans, mollusks, insects, seeds, and aquatic plants; forages by diving from the surface, usually to depths of 6 to 10 feet.

● Breeding & nesting: Tufted Duck: Seven to ten yellow, brown, or green eggs are laid in a small ground hollow lined with grass and down, usually hidden in reeds or under bushes near water. Incubation ranges from 23 to 28 days. Young start to fly at 45 to 50 days.

● Similar species: Tufted Duck: Ring-necked Duck lacks tuft of feathers behind head.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with steady wing beats.
Tufted Duck Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Tufted Duck: Breeds across Eurasia from Iceland and the British Isles east across Russia and Siberia to the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Commander Islands; breeding has not been reported in North America. They are casual visitors on northern coasts during migration. Found in large lakes and bays.
BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies
PopulationUncommon to rare
MigrationMigratory
Weight24 Ounces
Duck-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
CrestX
Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Read more...
ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

Read more...
Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX