Tufted duck Aythya fuligula

This well-travelled and distinctive bird has become a regular feature on the country’s waters, says Charles Smith-Jones

Over the past few decades the tufted duck has become an increasingly familiar sight on reservoirs and lakes across the country. Even at a distance, the white flanks of the smallest of our diving ducks set against the otherwise black plumage of the male makes it unmistakeable when at rest on the water. Viewed closer, the sharply contrasting yellow eye and long feathered tuft on the back of the head that gives rise to the name quickly becomes apparent. The female is less distinctive, being more of a chocolate brown with slightly paler flanks. She also has very slight tufting on her head but it is nowhere as pronounced as that of the male. Both have a sturdy looking blue-grey bill. These are small ducks that are dwarfed alongside a mallard,…

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Sporting Gun (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2022

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