Long-tailed Duck

§ Quick facts

§ Encyclopedia

The long-tailed duck is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of the genus Clangula.

Source: Wikipedia — Long-tailed duck · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Small sea duck. Winter male strikingly white with a dark cheek patch, dark breast, and very long needle tail feathers. Plumages change dramatically through the year.

Similar species. No other sea duck combines the bold white body, dark cheek smudge, and long tail; females are dark-capped with a white face.

Voice. Males are vocal — a yodeling, musical 'ow-ow-owooolee' carrying over the water.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Varies by species: aquatic plants, seeds, invertebrates, fish.

Behavior. A hardy arctic sea duck that dives deeper than almost any other duck (to 60 m) for crustaceans and mollusks; uniquely molts through three plumages a year.

§ Range

Arctic; winters Atlantic and Pacific coasts

§ Habitat

Arctic seas and lakes in summer; coastal waters in winter

§ Threats

Climate change, oil spills, fishery bycatch.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the long-tailed duck is currently classified as Vulnerable.

§ What helps

Support Arctic conservation. Reduce ocean pollution.

§ Further reading

• Wikipedia — Long-tailed duck
• www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Clangula hyemalis
• IUCN Red List — search for Clangula hyemalis
• GBIF occurrence records
• Encyclopedia of Life — Clangula hyemalis

§ Sources cited

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
• National Audubon Society
• iNaturalist
• IUCN Red List