Bird name:

Tufted Duck

Aythya fuligula

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

TUDU

Code 6

AYTFUL

ITIS

175135

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Rivers, Reservoirs

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Loose colonies

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to rare

Egg Color:

Yellow, brown or green

Number of Eggs:

7 - 10

Incubation Days:

23 - 28

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grass lined with down.

Migration:

Migratory

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

General

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. Female is brown overall with darker breast, paler sides, white belly, small crest, and black-tipped gray bill. Juvenile resembles female but is duller. Eclipse male resembles breeding male but lacks purple sheen on head, neck, and breast, and has gray-washed sides. Hybridizes with scaups.

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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and 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.

Vocalization

Tufted Duck: Gives a low whistle during courtship.

Similar Species

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

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crest

Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America