Wildlifeof Vietnam
Tufted Duck
Ducks, Geese & Grebes
Photo: (c) Валерия Ковалева, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
Aythya fuligula
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Molluscs, aquatic insects, crustaceans and plant material
Habitat
Freshwater lakes, reservoirs and sheltered coastal water
Range
Northern Eurasia, wintering south into Africa and Asia
Clutch size
Usually 8–11 eggs
Incubation period
About 23–28 days
Size
41–46cm
The tufted duck is a small diving duck 41–46 cm long. Adult males are black with sharply white flanks, yellow eyes, a blue-grey bill and a narrow drooping crest behind the head. Females are brown with paler flanks and a shorter crest; some show white around the bill base but less than female scaup. Both sexes display a broad white wing-bar in flight (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds across northern Eurasia and winters farther south on freshwater lakes, reservoirs and sheltered coastal waters, sometimes reaching Vietnam. Birds dive repeatedly for molluscs, aquatic insects and crustaceans, also taking seeds and other plant material, and often feed in mixed flocks with other diving ducks. The female builds a down-lined nest close to water, commonly laying eight to eleven eggs and incubating them for roughly 23–28 days (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Tufted Duck eat?
- Molluscs, aquatic insects, crustaceans and plant material
- What habitat does the Tufted Duck live in?
- Freshwater lakes, reservoirs and sheltered coastal water
- Where is the Tufted Duck found?
- Northern Eurasia, wintering south into Africa and Asia
- How many eggs does the Tufted Duck lay?
- Usually 8–11 eggs
- How long are the eggs of the Tufted Duck incubated?
- About 23–28 days
- How big is the Tufted Duck?
- 41–46cm