Long-tailed Duck - Amazing diving duck!

The Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) stunning males have two mirror-image plumages: in summer mostly black with a white face patch; in winter mostly white with rich brown, black, and gray on the face. In all plumages they have extravagantly long, slender tail feathers. Females and immatures are smudgy brown and white, without the long tail.

Fun facts about the Long-tailed Duck:

They are excellent divers, capable of diving up to 60 meters deep in search of food.

They feed primarily on mollusks and crustaceans, which they find by diving to the bottom of lakes and rivers.

The Long-tailed Duck is one of the few duck species that molt, or shed their feathers, in the open water, making them vulnerable to predators during this time.

They are known for their vocalizations, which include a variety of grunts, whistles, and calls.

The Long-tailed Duck is a migratory bird, traveling long distances to breed in the Arctic and winter in more temperate climates.

The species was once hunted for its feathers, which were used in the fashion industry to make hats and clothing. Today, the Long-tailed Duck is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and its populations have rebounded.

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