Tufted Duck

The tufted duck is a small diving duck that is a resident and winter visitor to Ireland. 

The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. The male also has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name. The adult female is brown and looks similar to other diving ducks. 

They breed close to marshes and lakes with lots of vegetation, where nests are build. They are also found in coastal lagoons, seashore and sheltered ponds. They mostly eat mussels but also crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic insects and some plants.

It is amber-listed in Ireland due to its localised wintering range. It is declining in Europe.

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Image (c) by Charles J Sharp used under Creative Commons License BY-SA 3.0.