Tufted duck - Aythya fuligula

Common Name :	Tufted duck.
Binomial Name :	Aythya fuligula
Family :	Anatidae
Photo Taken :	Ireland

Tufted duck, is a a duck bird that is very expert in diving. It belongs to the bird family Anatidae with a binomial name Aythya fuligula. This bird's range is very wide and can be found in many parts of Eurpoe, Africa, Asia, and America. In Ireland this is a resident bird as well as a winter visitor.

Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula) is a small duck with large head. Male and female birds are having different outlook. Adult male birds are having predominant black color (some part are dark, some are light) with a white flank. Bill is gray-blue in color and the eyes are bronze-yellow. Males are having tuft at the head for which it is known as Tufted duck. Females are brown in color (with upper part is darker, and flank is lighter). Head of the female is blackish brown.

A Female Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula).

Tufted ducks (Aythya fuligula) are found around the shallow lakes having depth no more than 5 meter. They prefer the area with plenty of tall vegetation for perching and preening. These birds mostly feed on larvae, pond weeds, aquatic invertebrates, etc. They prefer to find the food after diving under the water. That's why they do not prefer to live around deep water region.

A Female Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula) after a dive in water.

A female Tufted duck lays 6-12 eggs. As the bird lives in a loosely group, the females sometime share the eggs in common place. Only female does the incubation. A duckling can fly after two months of hatching.

A Male Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula).

Photos of Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula) were taken from the following location of Ireland:
1. November 2017: Phoenix park, Dublin.


This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icbird.blogspot.com/