Tufted Duck

1/1000s at f8.0, ISO:1250, Canon EOS-1D X w/800mm, x1.4 converter


The Tufted Duck is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds. It breeds widely throughout temperate and northern Eurasia. It occasionally can be found as a winter visitor along both coasts of the United States and Canada. It is believed to have expanded its traditional range with the increased availability of open water due to gravel extraction, and the spread of freshwater mussels, a favorite food. These ducks are migratory in most of their range, and winter in the milder south and west of Europe, southern Asia and all year in most of the United Kingdom. They will form large flocks on open water in winter. Their breeding habitat is close to marshes and lakes with plenty of vegetation to conceal the nest. They are also found on coastal lagoons, the seashore, and sheltered ponds. These birds feed mainly by diving, but they will dabble. They eat mollusks, aquatic insects and some plants and sometimes feed at night.
Iceland
 
05/30/2013