Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.

Get Adobe Flash player
 

  • Nederlands
  • Deutsch
Search in the Encyclopedia

Dieren en planten

Zebra mussel   Ducks   Shoveler   Teal   Shelduck   Mallard duck   Tufted duck   Freshwater bivalves   Swimming birds   

Tufted duck

size:

40-47 centimeters; 67-73 centimeters wingspan

color (adults):

male: black with white flank and belly, head tuft, blue-grey bill with black tip
female: brown with with belly and small tuft, blue-grey bill with black tip

food:

(freshwater) zebra mussels, aquatic insects, some plants

Dutch status:

nesting bird

habitat

water-rich areas and dunes (in the winter, sheltered coasts); breeds near marshes and lakes with vegetation for hiding

reproduction:

8-11 eggs; maturity: 1 year old

life span:

maximum known age: 22 years

special nature:

taking a running start to dive by jumping out of the water

  • Dut: Kuifeend
  • Eng: Tufted Duck
  • Fren: Fuligule morillon
  • Ger: Reiherente
  • Dan: Troldand
  • Nor: Toppand
  • Frisian: Tüfein
  • Ital: Moretta
  • Lat: Aythya fuligula
print print
Tufted Duck, jcoelho, via www.flickr.com

Tufted duck

Tufted ducks are diving ducks: they can dive down to 50 meters. Like all diving ducks, their legs are situated far back for propulsion, but it means they are clumsy birds on land. However in water, tufted ducks are capable of staying in place even if the water is flowing rapidly. Their favorite prey is the zebra mussel, a freshwater species.

On Texel


More than a hundred pairs of tufted ducks nest on the island, in the dunes as well as on farmland.

  • Nighthawks
    Tufted duck, foto fitis, adriaan dijksen

    In the winter, tufted ducks forage mostly at night. The most probable reason is to avoid being robbed by hungry gulls. Great black-backed gulls are also intent on eating the ducks themselves. By resting in groups during the day, there is always one duck around to warn for voracious predators.

  • Distribution and habitat
    Distribution of tufted ducks, North Sea, Ecomare
    Source: Important bird areas for seabirds in the North Sea

    Since around 1950, tufted ducks have been nesting in the Netherlands in larger numbers. Nowadays, there is often a population of more than 10,000 nesting pairs. In the winter, large numbers of winter guests join the group. They are found particularly in water-rich parts of the Holland polders and dunes.

  • Protection
    • Monitoring: Network Ecological Monitoring
    • National legislation:Flora and Fauna Regulation
    • European Agreement: Bird Directive
    • International: Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), Bern Convention, Bonn Convention