The long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) is a
distinctive but rarely seen duck because it usually keeps well out to sea. It
winters in waters around the northern coasts of Britain from October to May,
when it leaves for its breeding grounds in northern Scandinavia. However, it
has also been known to breed in Scotland.
The plumage of the long-tail duck is brown and white. The
male moults gradually throughout the year and by midsummer its head and neck
are dark but the face remains white. The female has dark cheek patches. Only
males have the distinctive long, upright tail. Males grow to 21 inches (53 cm)
in length and females to 16 inches (40 cm).
Both sexes are recognised in flight by the absence of bars
on their wings and by their unusual flying action, with shallow wing upstrokes
but deep downstrokes.
The voice of the male long-tailed duck is extraordinary
among ducks for its melodious, resonant and far-carrying quality. The variety
of its calls is also remarkable – the calls of a displaying flock have been
likened by some ornithologists to the sound of distant bagpipes.
The nest, a mere scrape in the ground sparsely lined with
plant material and down, is usually sited in thick vegetation not far from
water; occasionally it is in a rock crevice. Sometimes several broods may join
together in a crèche.
Six to nine olive-buff eggs are incubated for about 3 ½
weeks. The young become independent after about five weeks.
Long-tailed ducks feed mostly on molluscs and crustaceans,
which are gathered by diving. However, vegetable matter such as seeds and
leaves is also eaten.
© John Welford
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