Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Species
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula). Male. Taken at Otmoor, Oxon on May 25th 2014.
Male. Taken at Otmoor, Oxon on May 25th 2014.
(1/200th sec at f11 . Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula). Female. Taken at Farmoor, Oxon., on November 22nd 2018.
Female. Taken at Farmoor, Oxon., on November 22nd 2018.
(1/200th sec at f11. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula). Juvenile. Taken at Farmoor, Oxon., on August 18th 2023.
Juvenile. Taken at Farmoor, Oxon., on August 18th 2023.
(1/1000th sec at f8. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)

Description

L: 40 - 47 cm; WS: 65 - 72 cm

The Tufted Duck is a medium-sized diving duck. The male is black on the head, neck, breast and back and white on the sides. It has a small crest and a yellow eye. In flight it shows an obvious white stripe across the back of the wing. Females are uniformly dark brown. They sometimes develop a white Scaup-like patch at the base of the bill.

It breeds in the UK across lowland areas of England, Scotland and Ireland, but less commonly in Wales, with most birds being residents. Numbers increase in the UK in winter because of birds migrating from Iceland and northern Europe.

It is versatile in its choice of breeding habitat; most slow-flowing or still waters are used.

Outside the breeding season the Tufted Duck is gregarious, forming large, dense flocks.

This species has amber status. Between 7000 and 8000 pairs breed in the UK. The winter population is around 120000 birds.

Sightings

17-Apr-2024 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (2)
11-Apr-2024 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (12)
04-Apr-2024 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (2)
22-Mar-2024 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (50)
16-Mar-2024 : Standlake Common, Oxon
15-Mar-2024 : Radley Lakes, Oxon
16-Feb-2024 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (15)
31-Jan-2024 : Slimbridge, Glos
26-Jan-2024 : Standlake Common, Oxon
04-Jan-2024 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
01-Jan-2024 : Standlake Common, Oxon

26-Dec-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
26-Dec-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
15-Dec-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
08-Dec-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
17-Nov-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
07-Nov-2023 : Slimbridge, Glos
24-Oct-2023 : Whelford Pools, Glos
22-Oct-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
22-Sep-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
13-Sep-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
18-Aug-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
16-Aug-2023 : Whelford Pools, Glos
16-Jun-2023 : Whelford Pools, Glos
19-May-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (5)
18-May-2023 : Otmoor, Oxon (1)
28-Apr-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (2)
27-Apr-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
21-Apr-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (22)
20-Apr-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
17-Apr-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon (8)
04-Apr-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon (2)
19-Mar-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
11-Mar-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
03-Mar-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
26-Feb-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
19-Feb-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
05-Feb-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
01-Feb-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon
30-Jan-2023 : Otmoor, Oxon (13)
20-Jan-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
19-Jan-2023 : Slimbridge, Glos
06-Jan-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
02-Jan-2023 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
01-Jan-2023 : Standlake Common, Oxon

26-Dec-2022 : Standlake Common, Oxon
20-Dec-2022 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
25-Nov-2022 : Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon
20-Nov-2022 : Standlake Common, Oxon
13-Nov-2022 : Standlake Common, Oxon