Tufted Duck

A familiar diving duck on park lakes, with strongly different male and female plumage.

A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.

I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Habitat first

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go: All year; additional autumn and winter visitors
Where to start: Public lakeside viewpoints and wetland reserves overlooking open water.
What to do when you arrive: Look for diving-duck flocks on open lakes and check colour and head shape as birds resurface. Males are black-and-white, females browner, and the tuft may be inconspicuous.

Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

SPECIES NOTESSpecies notes

How to identify it

Males have black head and back, white flanks, yellow eyes and a drooping crest. Females are brown with paler flanks and a small crest; some have white at the bill base, not diagnostic of Scaup alone.

Habitat

Freshwater lakes, ponds, slow rivers and some sheltered bays.

Behaviour

Dives for molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.

When to look

All year; additional autumn and winter visitors

Where to look

Public lakeside viewpoints and wetland reserves overlooking open water.

Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.

Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · BTO · Diving ducks ↗ · RSPB ↗ · Wikipedia ↗

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