Western Europe Birds & Birding (#5/52): From the Highland Willow Scrub of Scotland to the Aegean Islands in the Sea of Crete, Western Europe is home to over 800 resident, migratory and vagrant birds. From songbirds to gamebirds and from waterfowl to raptors, you can find birds virtually in every nook and cranny of this beautiful area. *All images showcased in this blog series were taken and edited by me.
A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
Physical Characteristics:
The Tufted Duck is a small diving duck found primarily in northern Eurasia, but may rarely also be found along both coasts of North American.
Adult Males
- Their plumage is **all black**, except for **white flanks**.
- They sport a **blue-grey bill** with **gold-yellow eyes**.
- A **thin crest** adorns the back of their heads.
- The most distinctive feature is the **head tuft**, which gives them their name.
Adult Females
- Females are **brown** with paler flanks.
- They can be more easily confused with other diving ducks.
- In flight, Tufted ducks exhibit a **white stripe across the back of the wing**.
Diet:
The Tufted Duck is an **omnivore** with a varied diet.
Abundance and Distribution:
- Population Size: The total Tufted Duck population ranges from 2,600,000 to 2,900,000 individuals.
- European Population: Consists of 551,000 to 742,000 pairs.
- Breeding Range: Tufted ducks breed throughout **temperate and northern Eurasia.
- Winter Visitors: They occasionally appear as **winter visitors** along both coasts of the United States and Canada.
- Migration: These ducks are **migratory** in most of their range, overwintering in milder regions of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Asia. In the United Kingdom, they remain year-round.
IUCN Red List Status:
The Tufted Duck is currently classified as **Least Concern (LC)** on the **IUCN Red List**. Its population numbers remain stable.
For more information, you can explore the IUCN Red List and learn about the conservation status of various species.
TUFTED DUCK WAS LIFER # 289
Tufted Duck 01 Jan 1990 Lake Merritt | US-CA
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Herring Gull (Western European)
- Black-headed Gull
- Ruff
*For the purposes of this blog series, Western Europe is the geographic region of the European continent surrounded by the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, including Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and other member countries of the Western European Union. (Source: CIA)
Reflections of the Natural World 