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Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) — photo 1 of 3
© Alexis Lours CC BY 4.0

Ducks, geese, and swans · Waterfowl

Tufted Duck

Aythya fuligula

Year-round

Voice

Call

Sonothèque ADVL

0:10

How to recognize it

  • Male black with white flanks and belly

  • Thin hanging tuft on the back of the head

  • Short blue-grey bill, yellow eyes

  • Female brownish with paler flanks; harsh growling karr

About the species

Tufted Ducks spend most of their time on water, where they dive for food and only get airborne after a noisy run across the surface. On land they move awkwardly, so they usually keep close to the water’s edge.

The male gives a soft whistle in courtship, while the female has a sharp, harsh call, often heard in flight. Outside the breeding season they gather in large flocks, and in winter they may form groups of thousands on open water.

They breed around large lakes, reservoirs, ponds, slow rivers, and sheltered coastal waters, usually where reeds or sedges hide the nest. Their diet includes molluscs, aquatic insects, and some plants, and they often feed by diving, sometimes at night.

Did you know?

  • From England to Pakistan

    Tufted ducks can swap wintering grounds across continents — one bird ringed in England turned up in Pakistan in a later winter, thousands of kilometres from its previous site.

  • Nesting under gull guard

    Tufted ducks deliberately nest inside or beside black-headed and common gull colonies, borrowing the gulls' aggression as a shield against predators.

Where to find

  • At large ponds, reservoirs, and slow river stretches — on open water where Tufted Duck dives almost without a splash for molluscs and insect larvae.

  • Along reed beds and sedge fringes in shallow water — females stay close to cover and only briefly appear between the stems while feeding.

  • On unfrozen canals and sheltered inlets in winter — look for loose rafts that keep disappearing underwater together.

  • On broad waters with small islands and vegetated shores — especially early in the morning, when a harsh growling call carries and quick surfacings follow each dive.

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Sources