Tufted duck Aythya fuligula

Identification Tips:

• Small, compact diving duck
• Rounded crown
• Yellow eyes
• Blue bill with black nail at tip
• Dark wing with dark-tipped white secondaries and inner primaries and pale gray outer primaries
• Immature female similar to adult female, immature male is similar to female in autumn, but acquires alternate plumage during winter

Adult male alternate:

• Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
• Glossy purplish head with crest
• Black breast and back
• White flanks and belly
• Black tail, upper- and under-tail coverts

Adult male basic:

• Similar to adult female

Adult female:

• Sometimes has small crest
• Dark brown body plumage
• Whitish belly

Similar species:

Adult male Ring-necked Duck similar in alternate plumage but has different bill pattern, grayer flanks and vertical white finger just behind black breast. Scaups are similar to the Tufted Duck but males have gray flanks and backs instead of white flanks and black backs. Females scaups are very similar but usually have a white band around base of bill and have less black at the tip of the bill.