Tufted Duck

A Tufted Duck at Hampton Court, London, UK; 4/6/10

We saw lots of Tufted Ducks (Above and Below) in several places while visiting London last spring. Tufted Ducks are a medium-sized diving duck with long black crest and dull black back, tail, head neck and breast (with a slight purple sheen in the light). In contrast its underparts and sides are bright white.Their eyes are yellow and legs and feet are gray. TheTufted Duck breeds across Eurasia from Iceland and the British Isles and east across Russia and Siberia.  Breeding has not been reported in North America, but they are casual visitors on northern eastern coasts of the U.S. and Canada (several reports in Newfoundland) and in the west chiefly along coasts in Alaska, California. Most often seen near urban areas which suggest these birds found in North America are considered to be escaped captives birds.


Another Tufted Duck, St. James Park, London, UK; 4/8/10.