Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) movements The Tufted Duck breeds across northern Eurasia from Iceland to the Bering Sea, between 45°N and 70°N. Juvenile Tufted Duck (Seaforth, Lancashire, 9 September 2004). Morphology and Morphometry of Caeca in the Tufted Duck Aythya Fuligula. The 'hen' (female) has eight to eleven eggs in a brood; the young becoming independent once … This young Tufted Duck looks typically small, squat and short bodied, and the rather flattish crown with a pronounced tuft is shown by no other Aythya. Juvenile Ferruginous Duck (Camargue, France, 5 August 2018). It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name. A large proportion (probably more than 60%) breed in Russia (600,000 to 800,000 pairs) and neighbouring Fennoscandia (147,000 to 220,000 breeding pairs). The aim of the I.B.P. Just to confuse matters The group of ducks namely Pochard, Tufted, Scaup, Ring-Neck, Ferruginous Duck can and do interbreed so producing hybrids. Tufted ducks have pale blue bills with black tips, yellow eyes and black webbed feet and legs. Female tufted ducks are dark brown with a white area on the belly and her crest is shorter. The Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) is a medium-sized diving duck with a population close to one million birds.. The scientific name of the tufted duck, fuligula, means 'sooty throat'. The crest is absent in both sexes. Hi Hazy, just looked in the Collins Bird guide for you and I would confirm its a female Adult Tufted.
During winter their crests are shorted and their plumage is brown or buff. Juvenile tufted ducks stay with their parents for up to 110 days as they mature. Juveniles have the dullest brown plumage, and young birds are therefore most likely to be overlooked or mistaken for female or juvenile Tufted Duck. Tufted Duck females, juveniles, and non-breeding-plumaged males are more or less uniformly brown with a much smaller plume or none at all. Hybrids—especially with Greater Scaup—further complicate field identification.

Males in non-breeding plumage also resemble females with a brown tint and a less prominent tuft or no tuft at all.

The tufted duck is a medium-sized diving duck, smaller than a mallard. It breeds in the UK across lowland areas of England, Scotland and Ireland, but less commonly in Wales, with most birds being residents. This makes life more difficult to identify at distance..see Collins Wildfowl Hybrids for more details. They are easily confused with scaups and Ring-necked Ducks in similar plumages, and are best separated from them by subtle details of head and bill shape and markings. Juvenile tufted ducks are similar in appearance to mature female adults, however, juvenile color is less vibrant and the tuft is less pronounced. Here lie ample clues to the bird's identity. Juveniles tufted ducks are similar to females with a darker bill and duller brown eyes. In flight it shows an obvious white stripe across the back of the wing. It has a small crest and a yellow eye. Tufted Duck Conservation . Birds of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East This is the most up-to-date checklist of bird species and subspecies recorded in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, including Iran and the Arabian Peninsula – the ‘greater’ Western Palearctic. The eyes are brown, becoming yellow through the first winter. The bill is darker and greyer with black nail. It is black on the head, neck, breast and back and white on the sides. Birds of South Asia The Ripley Guide The most complete and up-to-date guide to the birds of the region. In some areas their range is expanding because of sand and gravel quarries that create additional reservoirs that serve as ideal habitat. Like most ducks, the 'drake' (male) has nothing to do with the incubation of the eggs or raising the young. Tufted Duck Development 123 Studies on the development of young Tufted Duck JANET KEAR Introduction When the Wildfowl Trust began a breed­ ing biology study on ducks at Loch Leven, Kinross (Boyd and Campbell 1966), this became associated with the International Biological Programme’s Project there.