Appearance:

Shape resembles both diving and dabbling ducks. Characteristic head profile with long bill, long sloping forehead and rather high rear crown (not unlike Pochard). White undertail usually visible also when on the water. Broad, white wing-bars and white underwing conspicous in flight. White undertail separated from white belly by brown band. Male with shining white eyes. Female with brown eye and less bright rufous tones to plumage. Immature similar to female, but with even less rufous. Immatures told from immature Pochard by by darker back, no facial markings and white (not grey) wing-bars. Note that Tufted Duck sometimes have white (but more diffuse) undertail. Beware also of hybrids with Pochard (note bill-pattern).

Sound:

Female call similar to female Tufted Duck's "kerr kerr", but thinner and with a strong, peculiar bi-tone. Male display call mostly consists of various short "chk" sounds.

Female:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

CC

CC-sound:Jarek Matusiak, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Linton Snapper, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Radovan Václav, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:darwin_initiative, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Frank.Vassen, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Koshyk, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Summer: Black throat framed in fine white stripes at the sides, and a chequered black back. Winter: More contrast between dark and white parts than in Red-Throated Diver. Marked transition between dark neck and white front, and the dark grey crown extends below the eye. In all plumages: Heavier neck and bill than Red-Throated, and bill usually held straight. Visibly protruding chest when swimming. Head shape sometimes squarish. Usually shows big white flank patch.

Sound:

Song: a strong, very resonant, full bodied, low whistling with most syllables rising in pitch: "co clooo-eee, co clooo-eee, co clooo-eee". Also a short grunting "karr".

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC