Tufted Duck

How to recognise it

• Tuft on the nape, long and drooping in breeding males, less obvious in females
• The adult male is black with white flanks and a white belly
• The female is dark brown on back and head, paler brown on the flanks
• Yellow eye, pale grey-blue bill with a black nail, white wing bar in flight

Call and song

The courting male, and birds in flight, give an almost turkey-like giggling call that falls in pitch and speeds up: "vip vi-vivyvyp". The female has a grating series, "krr krr krr krr", faster than the Common Pochard's and higher than the Greater Scaup's. Outside courtship the males are mostly silent.

Where and when

The Tufted Duck is a partial migrant that breeds in Sweden, across almost the whole country. In summer it is commonest in Norrland and eastern Sweden. Most leave Sweden in winter, but some winter in southern Sweden. It is reported all year round and from all 21 counties. It prefers to breed on shallow, nutrient-rich lakes and bays, in the archipelago often in shallow coastal lagoons.

Food and behaviour

It mostly feeds in shallow water, rarely dives deeper than three metres and stays under for 15 seconds on average. Important food is snails, mussels, crustaceans, small fish, water insects and water plants. It likes to breed among gulls and terns, which give it some protection. In winter Tufted Ducks can gather in flocks of thousands of birds.